Hunter
by Ra'Zara The First
Summary: Welcome, fans, to the continuing saga of me: Demon Chase! We continue our adventures in Europe, where we've taken refuge from U.S. law and attempt to silently protect ourselves and the family that doesn't actually want our help against the psychotic Krane. If we could find him... (Sequel to "Hybrid." Very AU and OOC. T for cussing. Whole family involved.)
1. Chapter 1 - The Dancing Lights

**Behold: Hunter, the sequel to Hybrid!**

**I had to do quite a bit of research on their location for you people. O_o Seriously. But here we are!**

**The first chapter is kind of a set up as to why they are where they are, really. And how much Chase loves it.**

**That, and who _wouldn't_ like to hear a bit about Donnie and Dougie as kids?**

**They're just so flippin' cute in my head!**

**Attempted pronunciation guide: "Røros."**

**Rare-rus ("rus" rhymes with "Noose, Moose," so on)**

**If you're new here, then let me warn you up front: This story is very AU and very OOC. If you haven't read "Hybrid," you'll be so lost that a search party armed with bloodhounds won't be able to find you.**

**It's full of cussing and demons, too.**

**You were warned. I don't want to hear any whining.**

**Now, who's got the first one?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**Go, Chase!**

* * *

_"The world is full of magic things patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."_

**W.B. Yeats**

* * *

_"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: His eyes are closed."_

**Albert Einstein**

* * *

**Ra'Zara the First proudly presents "Hunter."**

**Chapter One - The Dancing Lights**

**_Douglas (Ten Years of Age)_**

It seemed like they had been walking forever.

According to their dad, they were almost there. "It's only a mile's walk away," he had said.

And while it had only been about five minutes - and while walking a mile - even uphill - wasn't hard for him _or_ his older brother, Donnie; both had been in martial arts classes for about a year - the isolated wilderness they were trekking through coupled with the darkness of the night made everything seem more...well, more _distant_.

And the forest of trees that obscured anything farther than ten feet away weren't helping at all. In fact, the only thing that kept Douglas from getting lost were the two flashlight beams that pierced the shadows, held in the steady hands of his mom and dad. Donnie was clinging to their mother's free hand, occasionally jumping at snapping branches or rustling leaves.

Douglas rolled his eyes. Donnie was older; he shouldn't be scared. _Douglas_ wasn't.

Or so he kept telling himself when, in reality, he was almost glued to his dad's side the entire time.

_Why couldn't we come out here during the day? _Douglas thought as he watched a shadow that seemed to move.

But, apparently, whatever his parents wanted to show them could only happen at night. He didn't understand why they had to _walk_ to get there - how special could something in the middle of nowhere be, after all - but their dad had insisted.

"I want to show you something."

So they had followed.

His dad stopped abruptly at the top of the hill. "Here we are," he said, gesturing out at the dipping land in front of them. "Hessdelan Valley."

"It's just a _valley_," Donnie commented from the other side of their mother.

Douglas nodded his agreement. Though the view _was_ fairly lovely - he could see the trees in the valley below waving a bit in the night breeze, which was the only sound out there, other than various insects - he didn't really think it warranted a night hike when they could have _easily_ come during the day.

But the flashlights were turned off - Douglas grabbed on to his dad's shirt, afraid that he'd get lost without even moving a step as darkness engulfed them - and their mother just said, "Watch the sky."

Frowning, Douglas looked up. He couldn't see two feet in front of him, anyways, so he might as well be watching the millions of stars that painted the night when a monster ate them; even if his dad had assured that the invisible Ajiiyahn - neither he nor Donnie had ever seen the imp - wouldn't let a monster get close.

A minute passed. Then two. He began to fidget. Stars were cool and all, but couldn't they star gaze back at the hotel room in Røros? This vacation shouldn't have had them wandering around Norway's various woods at night.

A few more minutes passed. Douglas was beginning to get bored. Donnie actually let out a loud yawn. "Where is this 'awesome' thing?"

A sudden blue flash lit up the sky for a split second before blinking out. Douglas' eyes widened as a second light - this one white in the shape of an upside - down Christmas tree - flashed into existence. It floated upwards for a few seconds before vanishing as fast as it had appeared.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"What was _that?_" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No one knows," came the answer from his mother. "Maybe it's aliens."

Donnie gasped as three lights appeared now - two white ones lead by a red one - and seemed to fly in a circle around a distant hill. He had been on an alien kick lately.

Douglas, however, had a different idea. He didn't see aliens. To him, the little lights seemed to be dancing across the sky, like the valley itself was putting on a show just for him. Maybe nature was trying to prove that it, too, still held unknown beauty. That, although mankind thought they ruled the world, they didn't.

Because, honestly, Douglas had never felt so small, so humbled by anything before.

And even though his inner scientist was _begging_ for an explanation, he found that, this time, he didn't really want one.

It would ruin the magic. Science had a habit of doing that.

He gasped excitedly as a blue circle zipped across the sky before vanishing again. He didn't notice his parents sharing a smile at their sons' innocent wonder.

Or the small gecko that was now perched on his shoe, smiling as much as it could.

* * *

_"Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next."_

**Gilda Radner**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Røros, Norway.

We could have gone _anywhere_, and Douglas chose a little mining town in _Norway_.

It was old, too; seriously, the place had wooden, medieval-type buildings _everywhere_. It was like going back in time. And, compared to Mission Creek, it was _deserted_. Røros literally had a bit over three-thousand citizens.

Is that small or _what?_

All of that I could have gotten over if it weren't just so _god_ _damned_ _cold_ all the time!

Seriously! Fifty-ish degrees was the high nearly everyday.

_In_ _fucking_ _July_.

Needless to say, this demon was freezing his tail off.

Yes, you heard right: Demon. I was only half-demon due to an accident about three-and-a-half months back involving a portal to the demon world - I call it the Otherworld because I'd _love_ to see you stop me from calling it that - but still. Half-breed demonic thingy, at your service!

But not really. I was at Douglas' service at the moment, even though he had allowed me to maintain my free will.

Not that I was actually _doing_ anything.

In fact, I was laying on the couch, my ears perked at the ceiling of Douglas' hotel room while my tail draped over the arm to lazily twitch in midair on the other side. I had my dark wings spread out wide for comfort - because laying on my back with wings tended to suck otherwise - as I busied myself finding patterns in the ceiling's texture.

I had successfully spelled several less-than-appropriate words and located a few numbers when a gray, gargoyle-like imp suddenly jumped onto my stomach, causing me to curl up violently in surprised pain. She jumped onto the floor, the rhinestones dotting her wings glimmering a bit. "I'm _bored_," she huffed.

_How_ dare _she attack you!_

Leave it to Olyanaeci - Oly, for short - to bother _me_ when she was bored. "What the hell do you expect _me_ to do about it?" Douglas - wanting to keep us secret, since he had really only paid for a room for himself - had told us to lay low in the hotel while he went out for supplies. You know: Food, toothbrushes, all that good stuff. I honestly had no idea when he'd be back, but it really wasn't that big of a deal, either.

He was a big kid; he could take care of himself.

"I expect you to do something _fun_," she snorted. "What else?"

I was all for doing something fun, but there really wasn't anything around. However, I rolled to my side anyways. "I could always light you on fire again."

Oly glared. "I'll decorate your other ear the same way," she threatened, pointing at the missing tip of my right ear. She had bitten it off the last time we got in a fight.

I sat up with a yawn. "I'm not a fun person," I grumbled, honestly just wanting her to stop annoying me. Couldn't she just entertain herself for a while?

_You could just eat her, _my inner demonic voice pointed out. _Then_,_ she would be_ _gone_.

_And Douglas would kick my ass,_ I responded.

Oly jumped onto my lap and poked my chest. "Get off your ass; there has to be _something_ to do around here!"

I pinned my ears. "Get out of my face," I growled, baring my four sharp canine teeth.

She stuck her beak right up against my nose. "Or _what,_ Half-Breed?"

_Are you going to take that?!_

I really had only meant to shove her off my lap, to be honest. But what happened next was astounding even to me. I guess that she had aggravated me to the point where I wasn't fully aware of my actions, because - without me having the faintest idea _how_ - a very bright flash of white shot from my hands, and Oly went flying back into the wall with a stunned yelp.

I shot to my feet, suddenly alarmed. However, Oly - though tendrils of smoke rose from her in places - just stood up and shook her head, obviously dazed.

First thought that crossed my mind: Did _I _do just do that?

The second thought, however, was the more important of the two to me.

Douglas was going to be _pissed_ when he saw the indent Oly had left when she went barreling into the wall.

So how did I fix it before he -

The door opened suddenly, revealing Douglas - holding a few grocery bags - and sending me into a bit of a panicked state. "Hey, guys."

Too late.

He set them down on the counter - the small kitchen was by the door - before he finally gave me his full attention. It took him all of a second for his eyes to go from my panicked stance to the new hole in the wall that Oly was stumbling around in front of. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "God damn it, I was only gone for an _hour!"_

A second of silence passed before Oly - having finally regained composure - and I suddenly pointed at each other, simultaneously speaking.

"She did it!"

"He did it!"

And Douglas just looked down and rubbed his eyes. "And you're _both_ cleaning it up."

Great: Discover a new power and get chores for it. What fun.

I think I liked finding various cuss words on the ceiling better.

* * *

**Well, that ending was suckish, but whatever. I promise, this story is going places.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Doesn't matter. :3**

**And, as always, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	2. Chapter 2 - It's All About Perspective

**Here we are, ya'll! Chapter two!**

**It's kind of a filler thing to introduce some key points, but here it is!**

**I'm already feeling the love. :3 Thanks to my reviewers, my silent readers, my various minions.**

**Although Chase _is_ a bit worried that his story is becoming a cult classic...and he's not getting paid for it.**

**Greedy little bugger, isn't he? :P**

**DisneyXDGirl: In Hybrid Universe, all up in Chase's face is high on the list of places _not_ to be.**

**Moonlit: He's so tough! "I'm not scared!" *Twig snaps* "Eep!" *Hides***

**gg180000: Since when did we expect maturity from these two?**

**Vampire Girl: Where is this gum? I drop crap all the time!**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Got one! *Reels in the fishing pole***

**Anyways, I know you're not here to hear me speak narcissistically, so let's begin! Miss Bree?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...All the walls began to shake; my eyes flew open..."_

**Florence and The Machine, "Blinding"**

* * *

_"...What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little; only stories of events affect us._"

**Rabih Alameddine, THE HAKAWATI**

* * *

**Chapter Two - It's All About Perspective**

**_Bree_**

Bree was sitting alone on the couch when happened again.

It seemed to occur with rising frequency ever since the fight with Joraed a few days ago. Yahn - a gray, gargoyle-looking imp - would be sitting around as a gecko or small rat, and the bead Chase had given her would warm up and vibrate slightly against her wrist before Bree's vision would flicker exactly seven times - not unlike she was blinking rapidly - and Yahn would look like a gargoyle for a split second while everything seemed..._different_. Things seemed more clear with each passing flicker, while some things she'd never been able to see before suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Then it all ended, and her vision would go back to normal. The new things disappeared, and Yahn was in whatever form he had chosen that day.

Although Yahn wasn't anywhere to be seen at the moment - and no anomalies appeared in the living room - it was extremely strange.

Scratch that; it was cause for concern.

Another cause for concern: Yahn - openly displaying his gargoyle physique - suddenly jumped onto her lap from out of nowhere, his large yellow eyes locking with hers. Apparently, he had been lurking where she couldn't see him. She scowled at him. She hadn't ruled out that Yahn could be the one causing her hallucinations. "Shouldn't you be stuck to Adam's side?" she muttered.

Yahn, however, sat down in her lap and smiled. "Sometimes the cobra needs time away from the snake charmer."

Bree let out a sigh at the imp's logic. He couldn't stay around a Charmer forever. He'd go crazy eventually. "What is Adam doing, anyways?"

"Playing something called Cyber Pong with the little one," Yahn explained casually, referring to Leo.

She found herself rolling her eyes. She'd never liked Cyber Pong as much as Adam, Leo and Chase had. It was too monotonous for her. Like golf; the same thing happened over and over again. Not enough movement for her taste. She would much rather run a few miles. "Why are you bothering me, anyways?" she asked after a second, wrinkling her nose a bit.

"Why not?" Yahn answered cheerfully. "You're as good a person to talk to as anyone else around here."

Bree was a bit surprised by Yahn's statement. It was the nicest thing she'd heard all day. Actually, it was one of the only things she had heard all day. She had tried talking to Mr. Davenport, but he was busy setting his FBI friends on Douglas' trail.

A trail that seemed to go ice cold, but he was determined.

Then, she had tried to talk to Tasha...

Who had to leave _right_ _then_. Some special news report on why kids enjoyed putting pennies in their mouths. While Bree was curious as to the reason, she didn't bother to look it up for herself. It was the latest in a list of questions she was saving just for Chase when he got back.

Whenever that would be.

Because, if she had a list of questions, then he _had_ to come home and answer them. It was kind of her insurance policy, even if it really ensured nothing at all. But it helped her feel better, and that was good enough.

So, after Tasha had left, Bree wanted to see about Adam and Leo next, but her eyes started acting up. So, instead, she sat on the couch to wait it out - and just in case it happened again - which was where she was now located with Yahn on her lap, actually wanting to talk to _her_ instead of the other way around. She wasn't overjoyed that the gargoyle was in her lap - and living with them - but she decided to let it slide for once.

Yahn picked up her hand, snapping Bree out of her thoughts. She wanted to pull away from him, but the gentle way he turned her hand over and examined her palm made her hesitate. He ran a claw very lightly - she could barely feel it - over one of the lines on her palm. "What are you doing?" She asked carefully.

Yahn didn't answer for several seconds. However, before Bree smacked him for ignoring her, he finally sighed, his whole demeanor drooping a bit, like he was sad about something. "Did you know that Master's hands used to be as soft as yours?"

Bree frowned. Douglas' hands - the few times she had the displeasure of feeling them - were rough, like he had lived a hard life. "They aren't now," she commented.

"It is sad sometimes," Yahn responded quietly. "He changed so much over the years. He always used to find so much joy in little things. Was a helpful little guy, too."

Helpful? Douglas? She bit back the list of evil things he had done to her and her family. Instead - almost not wanting an answer - Bree slowly asked, "What happened?"

Yahn shrugged. "You can only kick a dog so much before it bites you."

If possible, she frowned deeper. "When did he bite, then?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there for it," he answered.

This just became more and more confusing with each thing Yahn said. "Why not? I thought he always kept you and Oly around."

"He's only been a Summoner for about a year," Yahn casually replied.

"Wait, then how did you know him before?"

Yahn looked up at her and smiled. "Ask Donald about that. He has half of the story, after all. _Then_, I'll tell you about Master."

Bree slumped back into the couch with a frustrated sigh. "Why do I have to ask Mr. Davenport?"

"It's for perspective," Yahn answered simply.

Why she would need perspective for Douglas' story was beyond her, but it was clear that Yahn wasn't going to budge on this. Stupid little imp. At least he wasn't stealing the rhinestones off of her possessions like Oly had.

But it looked like he was about to take the bead Chase had given her. He was reaching for it, a curious look on his face. She instantly pulled her hand out of his. There was no way that she was letting him take that bead away from her.

"I just want to look at it," Yahn assured - maybe he could read minds? - before reaching for the bead again. He delicately held it steady against her wrist with his thumb and index finger. "I thought so," he mumbled. More loudly, he asked, "Chase gave this to you, right?"

"Yeah, so don't try anything," she warned.

Yahn ignored her warning. "Do you know what it does?"

"It doesn't do _anything_," Bree informed him.

After several seconds - he appeared to be debating with himself - he let go of the bead. "So your eyesight has been fine?"

"Except for some hallucinations," she muttered. "By the way, if that's you, _stop_ _it_."

Yahn grinned at her. "It isn't me; I assure you. But when you want to know what your bead does, ask me."

"It's just a glass bead," she insisted. It didn't do anything. Well, it did vibrate sometimes, but that _had_ to be in her imagination.

"If you say so." Yahn stood up and leapt from her lap to land gracefully on the floor. "I'm going to go back to Adam now. He's probably wondering where I am by now."

Without another word, the gargoyle walked away, his tail flicking slightly with each step. Bree watched as he jumped up and hit the down button on the elevator panel. A few seconds of patience later, and he was aboard the elevator and out of sight, whisked away by modern technology.

A few more moments passed before Bree stood up herself. Mr. Davenport was in his office, still making calls and likely stressing himself out. It wouldn't kill him to take a break from his international man hunt to tell her a little about his prey.

* * *

_"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."_

**General George Patton**

* * *

_"Creativity is an act of defiance."_

**Twayla Tharp**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

Chase had been trying to figure out how to fix the hole he and Oly somehow made for about four hours. He was currently sitting on the floor, his cat ears pinned in frustration and the tip of his tail tapping the floor. Oly was curled up in Chase's lap, frowning at the wall as well.

Several moments of silence passed before Chase sighed heavily. "Douglas, why can't we actually use plaster?"

Douglas looked over the top of his - well, Donnie's - laptop. "Too easy," he answered with a smile while Chase let out a hiss.

Oh no, Chasey was getting angry!

Good; he was supposed to. It was part of Douglas' opportunistic lesson. Chase hadn't trained in a few months, so Douglas figured that a little work on ingenuity wouldn't kill the kid. He could see exactly where Chase was having problems.

The issue? The wall had a hole in it.

The goal? Fix it.

The tools he could use? One hammer. That was all.

Unlike Chase, though, Douglas already had the answer. Chase would, too, if he would think outside of the box.

It really was very easy.

Douglas watched the two a bit longer before returning his attention to the computer's screen. It was riddled with coding that Douglas had been attempting to break before he had summoned Chase and before the papers that the deceased Jasper had destroyed offered a more promising lead.

Now, it was back to square one: Trying to hack into the block on Krane's GPS signal.

The problem with this seemingly easy task, though, was that Douglas would get extremely close to breaking it. However, before he would succeed, the code changed entirely, basically undoing everything Douglas had done. It was a pain. The code updated on a schedule - new coding every three days; in fact, it was due to change in a moment - but he was never fast enough to get through.

Clever man, that Krane. It was admirable.

Douglas stifled a sigh as the written codes on the screen renewed itself again. He could get through this. He HAD to, if he threw himself at it enough times. But it was pretty infuriating and a bit disheartening to lose all progress every few days.

Suddenly, he heard Oly snap, "This is _bullshit!"_

Douglas looked at them again to see that both had jumped to their feet. Chase was holding the hammer in a tight fist as he spat, "It _is_ bullshit! What the hell are we supposed to do with this?!" He shook the hammer at Douglas for emphasis. "You know what? I'm going to fix this hole _right_ _now_." Chase growled loudly while he stormed to the wall by the bed - the room was basically just a large square with a bathroom attached - where a mirror was hanging. He held tightly to the mirror to prevent it from falling as he used the clawed end of the hammer to pry the nail from the wall. When he succeeded, he marched back to the hole, stared at it for a second, and put the mirror on the floor. "Oly, get the nail in the wall," he said, pointing at the exact spot he wanted it. The gargoyle took the hammer and, after a second of aligning her tools, struck the nail three times, securing it in the wall. Chase picked up the mirror again and hooked it on the nail, adjusting it slightly. As soon as he was satisfied, he jumped to the side and gestured broadly at it, his tail lashing fully now. "See? It's fucking _fixed_. Happy?!"

Douglas - knowing that Chase expected some sort of rejection of his bold plan to hide the damage - just grinned. "As a matter of fact, I am. Nicely done."

Douglas them returned his attention to the laptop, biting his cheek to keep from laughing at the indignant cries of Oly and Chase, who were realizing that they wasted hours of their day when the simplest of solutions would have sufficed.

Ah, the joys of learning.

* * *

**That's it for this one. Go on, shoo. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. xD**

**See? Just a filler. But at least we're attempting to tread water.**

**'Fess up: How obvious was the bead thing in Bree's new "hallucinations?" I'm sure you already know what's going on. :3**

**How about Douglas' training method, eh? How cruel/helpful is _this_ guy?**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. :P Doesn't matter.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	3. Chapter 3 - Awestruck

**Behold, chapter three!**

**I was going to wait until tomorrow to post it, but it just hit the Father's Day button so perfectly that I had to post it today. :3 Unintended, but it happens.**

**Thanks to all my lovely reviewers, my silent readers, my various beautiful people out there. :3 Making me smile, ya are.**

**gg180000: Aw, Chase loves Douglas too much to kill him. However, he isn't above revenge...**

**Vampire Girl: Ah, Douglas: A living paradox of cruel generosity.**

**DisneyXDGirl: Nah. He just saw an opportunity for a lesson and took it.**

**Moonlit: Go Chase, indeed!**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Yep, and I have a feeling that you'll recognize something in here...**

**Anyways, let's get this thing going! Oly?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Revenge is the law of the outlaws."_

**Laura Blumenfeld**

* * *

_"A father's goal is for his son to surpass him or simply carry on the honor of the family name..."_

**Nicholas Bonnet**

* * *

**Chapter Three - Awestruck**

**_Chase_**

Maybe it was just father's intuition, but Douglas knew immediately when I wanted his attention.

For example, he was watching me at the moment, his eyebrow raised questioningly. It was like he just _knew_ that I wanted to talk to him.

Although it might have had something to do with me laying across the laptop's keyboard - and, by default, his fingers - in the form of a cat. I bet it was fairly distracting.

"Feeling needy?" He asked, sighing slightly.

"Curious," I corrected, examining the computer's screen. It was riddled with complicated codes. "What are you doing?" He'd been obsessively - and silently - working on something since I "fixed" the wall. It kind of ruined all the glaring Oly and I had sent his way for the past thirty minutes. Upon realizing that he didn't care if we were pissed or not, Oly had decided to amuse herself by turning into a garter snake and climbing into the dresser. Douglas' slightly opened drawer, to be specific. No idea why. I could barely understand women on a good day. As for myself, I left a more-than-intriguing Sharpie drawing when he wasn't watching on the ceiling over the bed right where he would be forced to see it - good luck sleeping _tonight_, asshole; he should have been paying attention to our whereabouts, anyway. At least enough to catch me doodling on the ceiling. Two pissy demons aren't going to behave themselves, after all - as my petty act of vengeance before I started wondering what he was so interested in.

Hence, why I was now chilling on his hands.

"It's a block on Krane's GPS," he explained. I perked my ears as I examined the program's language. "It changes every three days."

Douglas had a long string defining the decryption key he was trying to use. Sadly, it had five days before it would get through.

"So get your fuzzy ass off my hands," Douglas growled after a second. "I have to refine this."

"Only if I get to try something first," I negotiated. "I have an idea."

"What would YOU know about programming?"

I considered clawing him, but restrained myself. "Hello? Super-genius here."

He paused, watching me before he sighed again. "Don't mess it up," he warned.

"I won't," I reassured, leaping off the computer to land on the floor, turning back to my normal self after I landed. I basically threw myself on the couch beside him and snatched the laptop away from him, balancing it on my lap before I started to type rapidly, my tongue sticking out to the side a bit in concentration. The timer suddenly jumped to seven days.

"Chase, what the hell?!" Douglas cried out.

"I'm not finished yet," I said, still typing.

The timer now read twelve days.

Douglas instantly tried to take the computer back, but I turned away from him, shielding it with my body and one outstretched wing. As I continued to work - lines of code were continuously translated in my mind's eye - the timer kept going up.

_You're letting him attack you?!_

Douglas kept trying to take the computer. "Chase, _stop_-"

"I'm not finished -"

His voice rose in volume. "You're making it worse!"

Which meant that mine did, too. "Will you just let me do this?!"

"Chase, _it's_ _up_ _to_ _two_ _months!"_

"I told you, I'm not -"

He was literally almost climbing over me now in an attempt to reach the laptop. "Damn it -"

"I told you to just-" the timer suddenly dropped to two days - "let me _finish._" I huffed more quietly now, letting him finally pull the computer away from me with a feeling of smug triumph.

Take that, Doubting Douglas!

While he inspected the lines of code on the screen, Oly slithered out of the drawer and turned into herself before jumping down and walking over to sit by my feet. "What's _he_ doing?" She asked after a second, hiking her thumb towards Douglas.

"Getting his ass kicked at programming," I answered. I'd put on a pair of sunglasses like a boss if I had some.

"Pretty much," Douglas conceded reluctantly. He shot me a look. "How did you know to do that?"

"I have a built-in translators for every language on Earth," I responded, grinning widely. "Programming is just another language."

"That _never_ occurred to me," he admitted. "Didn't think of coding as a language before." He broke into a cheeky grin. "Good thing I was awesome enough to program your translator right."

I smacked his shoulder. "Don't demean my accomplishment!"

"All right, fine." He grinned wider. "But _I _started the code for you."

I smirked. "Whatever you have to tell yourself."

"You know, most dads get beaten at basketball or something," Oly stated. "You nerds compete through programming."

My foot "twitched," and Oly "accidentally" got a solid kick in her chest while my little demon voice actually laughed. Oops.

While she wheezed, I nudged Douglas with my elbow. "So now what? We wait for two days before finding out where Krane is?"

Douglas nodded. Then, he minimized the window and started typing, moving to block my view. After a moment - and several failed attempts on my part to see what he was doing - he closed whatever screen he had opened and smiled. "Well, since we won't have any answers for two days," he said, looking out the window on the other end of the room to see the colors of sunset beginning to tint the horizon, "and it's almost nightfall..." He turned to me, his face - especially his eyes - actually lighting up with childlike excitement in a way that made me want to call the men in white to drag him to the funny farm.

"I want to show you something."

* * *

_"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."_

**Sigmund Freud**

* * *

_"...With arms wide open, under the sunlight. Welcome to this place; I'll show you everything..."_

**Creed, "With Arms Wide Open"**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

"It's just about a mile's walk from here," Douglas informed Chase as he parked the "borrowed" car by the side of the road. The sun was almost gone in the west, and the sky was clear. It was _perfect_.

"This better not be one of those things where you kill me in the woods and bury my body in a shallow grave before you plant a flower on top of it as some sort of twisted way to say you loved me," Chase warned as he climbed from the car, narrowly avoiding having his tail caught in the door as he closed it.

The kid needed more practice with cars, apparently.

Oly jumped onto Chase's head while Douglas got out himself. "What the _hell_ is so important that we had to come _miles_ from civilization at _night?"_

"Technically, Norway uses kilometers -"

"Shut up, Half-Breed," Oly interrupted. "All that matters is that we left the middle of nowhere, drove for what felt like _forever_ -"

"About 18.6 miles -"

"I said _shut_ _up_, Half-Breed! And we ended up in the _ass_ _end_ of nowhere. _Why?"_

Douglas shot Oly a smile. "Because I want to show you something," he replied. Chase had already used the power of utterly useless knowledge to tick her off. Might as well bug her some more.

Oly glared at him before she slid down to perch on Chase's shoulder. "Then let's _go_," she huffed. "I want to go back to Røros already."

Douglas rolled his eyes. Oly was endlessly impatient. However, instead of responding, he just turned on his flashlight, pointing it directly into the forest's awaiting shadows. "Come on."

Strangest thing: Chase _hesitated_.

Jasper? No problem. Krane? Bring him on. Joraed? Sure. Wandering about as a homeless kid for months? Easy.

Dark forest?

Hell to the _no_.

Oly poked Chase's shoulder. "What's wrong?" Her voice took on a mocking tone. "Scared?"

"Can it, imp," Douglas ordered. She fell silent. "There's nothing wrong with fear. It's a built-in safety mechanism."

"I got this," Chase suddenly assured. His voice was shaking slightly, though. Douglas spared Chase the embarrassment of having the flashlight reveal what he looked like - probably nervous, a little shaky.

Because Douglas had been the same way when he first visited at the age of ten (even if he wouldn't admit it back then) and the next few times when he visited the valley alone. But now, it was a well-known path to him, a place filled with comforting familiarity where life paused for a fraction of time.

Hopefully, Chase would feel the same way.

"Look on the bright side," Douglas said. "If something tries to eat us, we can make Oly stay behind to distract it with her bite-sized goodness while we get away."

"Don't feed me to any monsters!" Oly snapped. "I'm too young to die!"

"You're 3,257 years old, Grandma," Chase pointed out.

"Practically a preteen!" Oly declared.

She had a point: She was quite young compared to Yahn and several other demons. However, Douglas ignored her and patted Chase's free shoulder. He may not be able to dispel shadowy monstrosities, but he _could_ distract his son for a bit. "Chase?" He waited until he had Chase's full attention. "The next statement is true. The previous statement is false."

Chase's face - though shrouded in shadow - suddenly took on a thoughtful look as he considered this. Thank god for paradoxes! "Now stay close," he said before he made his way off the road and into the trees.

After a split second - and some loud rustling - Chase was by his side. With his slit pupils and sharp teeth among other things, _Chase_ could have been the monster stalking the forest.

Not that anyone would be able to tell by the way he would jump and look around frantically at rustling leaves or snapping twigs. Oly finally moved to Douglas' shoulder to keep from getting motion sick because of how often Chase would spin around without notice, his ears lowered with anxiety. That didn't stop the journey, though, and they soon reached the top of the hill. "Hessdalen Valley," Douglas said by way of explanation, gesturing at the land below them. "What do you think?"

"I think we could've come during the _day,_" Chase hissed.

"I think we wasted a trip, period," Oly muttered.

"Seriously; why are we here?" Chase asked.

"Just watch the sky," Douglas answered, switching off the flashlight and plunging them into darkness.

And even though his night vision exceeded Douglas' own, Chase yelped and grabbed a fistful of Douglas' shirt. "Are you _trying_ to get us killed?!"

"Poor little Half-Breed is afraid of the dark," Oly mocked before laughing.

"_No_," Chase huffed. "It's the _forest_. Who knows what wild animals and random serial killers are out here just waiting to tear our faces off and add them to their sick collection?!"

Douglas wondered briefly where Chase had gotten such an imagination. However, he just scratched gently between Chase's wings to calm him down a bit. "I've been coming here for a long time," he assured. "I've yet to be eaten."

"You'd leave a sour aftertaste," Chase replied. Even though it wasn't as confident as usual, it was reassuring that he was cracking jokes. He still had yet to relinquish his death grip on Douglas' shirt, but it was a start.

And that's when it showed up: A blue, bullet-shaped light zipped across the sky before vanishing again.

"What the hell was that?" Oly demanded.

"No one knows," Douglas answered, smiling as those dancing lights appeared - two white ones lead by a red one around the far hilltop - and filled him with the wonder. Although he had seen the lights dozens of times, they were still as beautiful and awe-inspiring as the day he was ten, watching them with Donnie and his parents for the first time.

This time, though, was slightly different.

Because he got the joy - no, the _privilege_ - to watch as, fears now forgotten, Chase's expression echoed his own excited, almost childlike awe as a ball of white flew upwards and blinked out above them.

* * *

**How cute was that? Figured ya'll were starving for some fluff, so there ya go. :3 Hopefully you didn't gag on it. It was a bit _too_ sweet for my taste, but I figured that Douglas sharing something with Chase that he had shared with his own father would be a rather fluffy moment, anyways, although the ending was..._okay, _I guess_._**

**So there was some more filler - mainly to get through the blocking code - but we'll go somewhere with it. Consider it an action vacation. :3 Also, we get to find out details of what Oly and Chase were doing while Douglas wasn't paying attention later, so yay!**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Doesn't matter. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	4. Chapter 4 - Grandfather Figure

**Yay, Chapter Four!**

**I've noticed that Leo and Adam have kind of vanished. Wonder where they went? Maybe they're planning something? Who knows?**

**Well, actually, I know. They _are_ planning something. :D**

**But, unlike you, I know what. :D Ha ha!**

**Here's a warning: There are mentions of religion in this chapter. They are brief, but I think they help the story along. Don't go to the review section and stomp your feet about how your religion is right and I'm going to Hell or whatever.**

**A). Put your big kid pants on and acknowledge that different religions exist and should be discussed in a mature, tolerant manner. You'll see why below when more of the Davenport backstory is revealed. (Poor Charles, by the way...Bonus points if you can tell me why I went with the name "Charles." It's pretty easy.)**

**B). I _really_ don't care what religion you are. Seriously.**

**So everyone get your mature on. This story is not going to turn religious. The story of Charles Davenport just happens to be.**

**Also, I encourage you to look up every religion you can just to get a general idea of what they are. If you know, you won't have to be afraid of it.**

**Also, read the entire thing before commenting your outrage at the words that are sure to strike a nerve or two: "Christian extremist." Yes, Christian. Because all religions have those over-zealous nuts that give the whole thing a bad name. Make sure you _read_ it, not skim!**

**You were warned, people.**

**And don't hate Mr. Davenport too much! Who hasn't been a horrible person to others sometimes?**

**So thanks to all my readers, my more-than creepy stalkers, my less-creepy Demon Chase stalkers (he really wants you to stop stealing the feathers from his wings when he isn't looking; he needs those to fly, damn it), and my lovely reviewers. :3 Hunter marches to the beat of crazy, and we're all dancing to it!**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Oly's actually very young. Consider Joraed: 47,291 years old.**

**DisneyXDGirl: And all the land was in balance...**

**Moonlit: Cute cat? Check. Welcome distraction? Not so much. :P**

**So, who wants to find out why Douglas went berserk? I do! Mr. Davenport?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...So, your world's benign? So you think justice has a voice, and we all have a choice?..."_

**Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris), "Everything You Ever"**

* * *

_"...Where is my John Wayne? Where is my prairie song? Where is my happy ending? Where have all the cowboys gone?..."_

**Paula Cole, "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?"**

* * *

**Chapter Four - Grandfather Figure**

**_Bree_**

Mr. Davenport looked tired.

Wait; that wasn't quite right.

He looked exhausted, drained, weary, a bit depressed -

He actually looked _old_ for once.

Bree seriously considered just coming back later as she watched him sitting at his desk, rubbing his eyes like he was worried. It was a little strange: While she didn't like Douglas much, either, she didn't think that hunting him and Chase down so vehemently in the hopes of an arrest was the best solution. She missed her brother - like before - but at least he wasn't on his own anymore. And what if Krane tried some strange demon tactic again? Douglas would be an asset.

She didn't tell him that, though. It probably wouldn't go over well.

As she stood in the doorway of his office, locked in place by indecision, Mr. Davenport finally looked up and noticed her. He smiled, even though it didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, Bree. Need something? Or just here to lend moral support?"

So she was staying. That was one way to make a decision, she guessed. "I was just..." She began to fidget a bit. "I was wondering..." Why was this so _hard?_ "Yahn was..." Finally, after her words died in her throat a third time, she sighed. "It's nothing," she finally mumbled.

Mr. Davenport, however, raised his eyebrow questioningly. "It doesn't look like nothing."

Damn it! Bree ran a hand through her hair before she just decided to blurt it out. Like pulling out a thorn: The faster, the better. "How did Yahn know about Douglas' past when he's only been a Summoner for a year?"

Well, that was obviously unexpected. Mr. Davenport opened his mouth before closing it again seconds later. This happened a few times before he frowned. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Just curious," she answered very quickly. _Too_ quickly, she realized.

"What did Yahn tell you?" Mr. Davenport asked, still frowning. But his expression had something else behind it. Something Bree couldn't put her finger on.

"Just that Douglas wasn't always evil," she shyly supplied.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "He wasn't."

"So..." Bree trailed off, finally stepping into the office. "Yahn wouldn't tell me why he knew that. And he didn't know what happened that made it change. He said to ask _you_ about the first one."

Mr. Davenport leaned back in his chair, his lips pursed thoughtfully. Several moments passed, in which Bree saw everything from fondness to grief to anger cross his expression. However, just when she thought he wasn't going to answer her, he leaned forward again, a sad half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Your grandfather was a Charmer."

"Like Adam?" Bree blurted out.

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Didn't know it until Douglas pointed it out to me. Anyways, Dad always said that Douglas and I had this special guard demon named Ajiiyahn."

"_Yahn?"_

"Yahn," Mr. Davenport confirmed. "We never saw him as kids, though. I actually thought he was fake after..." He trailed off, grief and anger overtaking his expression. After a moment, he sighed. "Anyways, I know Dad wasn't lying now."

What was he about to say? "Mr. Davenport? You thought he was fake after _what?"_

A minute passed. Then two. Then five. Bree almost wanted to say that it didn't matter, since - judging by how distant he looked now - it was obviously hard for him to think about. Then, just as she opened her mouth to speak, Mr. Davenport broke the silence himself.

"My dad was shot. Christian extremist thought he worshipped Satan. Said that it was God's Will that he die." He let out a sigh, clutching the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Ajiiyahn was supposed to guard us. So, when Dad died, I reasoned that he was never real. Now though..."

The silence that followed was almost suffocating. No wonder Mr. Davenport tended to look at Yahn like the imp was an old friend and his worst enemy. Bree let the quiet live for a bit before she shattered it. "So...Christians killed my grandfather?"

"_No_," Mr. Davenport said immediately. It was so forceful that Bree backed up a few steps. "_One_ _man_ killed him. He was insane. He twisted a peaceful religion around to justify himself acting violently. Christians didn't kill him. That man did."

"But..._why?_"

"Because Dad was a Deist and a Charmer," Mr. Davenport answered. "He worshipped several Gods while he talked to demons. And, sadly, we all know that tolerance is apparently too much to ask from some people." His voice became very quiet. "He never hurt anybody, and he _certainly_ had nothing to do with Satan." He let out a heavy sigh. "Douglas and I were in college when it happened. We - well, I - dropped the study of demons after that to focus fully on Davenport Industries, which was in its infancy at the time. I dropped religion, too, because what was the point if it only lead to fighting? Douglas let go of it, too, but he still prayed to Brighid or Herne sometimes; especially when something was bothering him. I think he still does."

"So...is that why Douglas went crazy?" Bree asked hesitantly.

He smiled sadly. "You could say that it was the trigger. He and Dad were very close. Dad's demon stories always cheered him up. I remember that they would try do crossword puzzles in the morning newspaper faster than your grandmother and I did. And they would always read books together." A bitter chuckle escaped him. "See, when we were kids, we were kind of losers. Hard to believe, right? Me, a loser? Anyways, I eventually managed to assimilate with my peers by targeting Douglas in public. This went on for years. I eventually started to target him at home, too. Always took something he did - a drawing or artistic project or something; he always was more creative than I was - and say it was mine just to bother him, or find a way to frame him when I did something I wasn't supposed to. It got to the point where he just decided to fade into the background, where it was easier to avoid getting in trouble or having his ideas stolen. But Dad always had time for him. Always."

"How could you be so mean?!" Bree interrupted. What was _wrong_ with him?!

"Okay, hold on," Mr. Davenport protested. "I was very young back then, and he got to where he'd get even by kicking my butt. Besides, it's always easy to target a sibling, remember? How many times have you and Adam ganged up against Chase? Or they against you? Or you and Chase against Adam? We don't think about it because we always assume that they know we love them and will forgive us. It's kind of hard to think that they'll ever start disliking or even hating you. Because, eventually, they will. We started fighting more, holding longer grudges. Ironically, college was the only time we really worked for a common goal.

"Then Dad died, and Douglas got mad. He blamed Christianity in general, even though it wasn't the church's fault. Upon realizing this, he started blaming authority, society, the government - everyone he thought could have saved Dad, but didn't. By the time he created you three, he had fallen in with people who wanted a revolution. Anarchists who taught him how to build explosives to supply terrorists and warlords who were 'fighting for the greater good of mankind.' He didn't exactly realize that he wasn't changing anything at all. So I took you and cut him out of the company. He looked at me like I had literally killed him before he left. It was the last time I saw him. I got news that he'd died, and believed that up until he showed up to get you three."

That was a lot to take in. Bree found herself overwhelmed by the magnitude of the story. "So it isn't his fault that he's evil?"

"It's his fault," Davenport sighed. "He decided to get involved in unlawful endeavors. So don't feel too sorry; he did it to himself." He leaned back in his chair again, looking more tired than when Bree had first entered the office. "He did it to himself," he repeated quietly.

Though she felt that Davenport wanted this conversation to end, Bree felt the need to add one more thing. "But Yahn said that kicked dogs bite eventually."

Mr. Davenport nodded and sagely said, "Yes, but they usually bite only the foot of the person who is kicking them. Douglas bit everyone he could, though, hoping to change what can't be undone. Because no matter how hard he fights, he can't bring Dad back."

"But Chase didn't say anything about Douglas mentioning bombs or revolutions." She paused thoughtfully. "Even he has to stop fighting sometime, and it's been several years. And now, he has Chase to serve as a halfway-decent voice of reason. What if Douglas is calming down?"

A long silence passed between them before Davenport reluctantly nodded. "Maybe he is."

* * *

_"I just replaced the can of air freshener in the office bathroom with an air horn. And now, we wait..."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"When life gives you lemons, freeze them and throw them as hard as you can at the people who are making your life difficult."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Those lights were _awesome_.

Seriously! They were like little balls of energy that were playing above the valley, waving at me, reminding me that there were still mysteries in the world. It was humbling.

So I was quite sad when we had to leave, but a reassurance that we could always return someday made it a bit easier to turn my back on the lights.

No wonder Douglas liked Røros: The Hessdalen Valley lights were breathtaking.

Back at the hotel - Oly and I had snuck in as lovely flies - it took the length of me taking a shower for Douglas to go from content to sitting on the edge of his bed, fidgeting a bit in the loose night-clothes he had changed into - poor Oly - like they were itchy and grinning at me in a way that seemed to scream serial killer. I smiled nervously back. "Hi?"

"So, I have a couple of questions," Douglas stated in a falsely cheerful voice. "First: Who was the guinea pig that got fur all over the clothes in my drawer? Because I'm kind of allergic to them."

"You're allergic to guinea pigs?" I asked, frowning.

"Oly, go sleep in the bathtub tonight," Douglas growled, figuring out instantly that it must have been her. She winced and marched to the bathroom, but she was snickering the entire way. To me, he said, "Not too much. Just tend to break out a bit."

I nodded, noting the small, red bumps starting to appear on his arms. "That sucks," I responded before I jumped onto the couch, situating a pillow and blanket that Douglas had put out so I could sleep better before I laid down.

Because I was a kid, and kids sleep better on couches than old men. Just sayin'.

"Before you go to sleep, there's one more thing." I glanced at him, and he pointed straight up. "I'm guessing _you're_ the artistic smartass?"

I allowed my eyes to lock on the drawing I had done over the bed. It depicted a smurf wielding a toothpick as a sword as he rode a bullfrog into battle against Gargamel's cat, Azrael, who was sporting a classic handlebar mustache.

And I cracked up.

* * *

**I added a 'stache to Chase's original picture, Slurp. :P Kind of sad that his part was so short, but I couldn't think of a better place to end it.**

**Anyways, that was it. See? Not too bad, not too religious (I felt it was necessary for Douglas to get pissed at a somewhat smaller organization before he took on everyone else). More of a fill-in-the-blanks chapter.**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. :3 I don't mind.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	5. Chapter 5 - Summoners-In-Training

**Here we are: Chapter five!**

**Who wants ****to find out what Adam and Leo are up to?**

**Well, hold up a second for this public service announcement.**

**We get to learn where the Hybrid universe Lab Rats came from today.**

**It's not the best origin story one could have, and it's certainly a good thing that this story is rated T! You guys were awesome with the religion thing last time - does my heart good to see tolerance - but this is a whole different thing. Feel free to chew my out via review or PM about it, but be warned: You'll either be ignored or get a smartassed comment back.**

**Kids are born this way. It's a real thing. So let's remember that Douglas is still Douglas and was a bit more of a loose cannon back then before we freak out, okay?**

**Big thanks to my many readers, my reviewers, my other people. :3 Ya'll rock.**

**Guest: No, it can not. However, there's a story a bit far back in the archives - "A Stupid Idea: A Brase Story" by Ethan Osec - that's really good. :3**

**AllAmericanSlurp: That's exactly it. It's almost poetic that the family Charmer carries his grandfather's name.**

**Moonlit: I got plenty up here, thanks. :P**

**DisneyXDGirl: There are plans in the works. Oh, and Chase is kind of aiming a taser at you right now. "I see you, feather-stealing motherfucker!"**

**Vampire Girl: Good god, getting mobbed would be my hell!**

**So let's find out what the missing brothers are up to! Yahn?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"He that can have patience can have what he will."_

**Benjamin Franklin**

* * *

_"When someone tells me 'no,' it doesn't mean I can't do it. It simply means I can't do it with them."_

**Karen E. Quinones Miller**

* * *

**Chapter Five - Summoners-In-Training**

**_Leo_**

Leo looked up from the paper to see Adam drawing a shaky chalk line. Yahn quickly erased it with his hands. "You can't have any mistakes like that," he said. "Everything has to be perfect, or you'll put yourself in serious danger."

"Why?" Adam tilted his head at Yahn.

"Because the barrier will have a hole in it," Yahn explained. "The last thing you want is something escaping."

"Here," Leo said, grabbing a ruler and passing it to Adam. Adam took it and redrew the line on the Lab floor, this time using the ruler to ensure that it was perfectly straight.

Yahn inspected it closely before nodding. "Much better."

"Okay; now we need another line here." Leo pointed at the white tiled floor to Adam's right, where the elder proceeded to draw yet another line. Maybe the Lab wasn't the best place to take a foray into summoning, but there were few other places he and Adam could draw the circles large enough and without staining carpet while not getting caught in the process. Mr. Davenport was too busy hunting Douglas, Tasha almost never came down to the Lab, and Bree abhorred Cyber Pong, so the Lab was currently the most secretive place to be, once Leo stole Eddy's off button from his mother.

"And that should do it," Leo declared as he compared the blue - it was the only color they had other than white - chalk circles to the diagrams in his hands. They were exact replicas.

Yahn trotted around both, examining each line closely before he nodded. "Perfect. Now, who's summoning?" Leo raised his hand. The words he had found - thank god for the Internet - were complicated and pretty much nonsense to him. And, since it had to be recited perfectly - and he was a better reader anyways - Leo had elected to be the one who actually spoke. Yahn pointed at him. "Start practicing; you can't mess up." Then, he turned to Adam. "We get to light candles and incense while he's doing that."

Adam jumped up, grinning widely as Yahn picked up a few sticks of incense from the cyber desk, holding them between two fingers with a disgusted look as he handed them to Adam. As the two started lining up the sticks on all four sides of both circles - Adam lighting them with his heat vision; giving him a lighter or matches would have been a _horrible_ idea - Leo started saying the list of nonsensical words under his breath, repeating them several times and spending a moment on areas he stumbled through until he was saying it perfectly. As Adam and Yahn began placing exactly seventeen candles in certain spots around the circles, Leo cracked his neck - or tried to - in preparation, carefully stepping into one of the circles so that his shoes didn't smudge the lines. "So, Yahn? Who are we calling again?"

"Ysthry," Yahn reminded him. "And you're in the wrong circle."

He honestly couldn't tell the difference - _yet_ - but Leo stepped out of the circle and into the one across from it. "Are you sure we did it right? Joraed's circle had weird symbols around it."

"Runes, and those are only for more powerful demons." Yahn climbed onto Adam's shoulder. "Anything around Chase's strength and up usually require runes. It's an extra security measure."

"So Chase is a pretty powerful guy, right?" Adam asked, lighting the candles. "I mean, he didn't look so tough when he was running from that Jasper thing."

"He looked pretty strong to me when he was 'destroying' the Lab," Leo pointed out, drawing air quotations with his fingers.

"He's in the middle," Yahn answered with a smile. "Stronger than imps like me, but weaker than afrits like Jasper. Demons like Joraed set foot in your world so rarely that they aren't even worth mentioning on the power scale."

"Good to know," Leo said, nodding. After several seconds passed - during which Yahn was casting a critical eye over the whole setup - Leo started to fidget impatiently. He hadn't spent DAYS looking this up just to wait for Yahn to satisfy his need for caution. He had both the Summons and Dismissal buzzing on his tongue; he was ready to go. "So, can we do this or what?"

Yahn nodded slowly. "We're ready to go."

"Woo!" Adam cheered, clapping his hands once as he actually leapt - yes, _leapt_ - into the Summoner's Circle with Leo, Yahn hanging onto his shoulder. "Let's call an imp!"

"There's one more thing, though." Yahn raised a finger. "No matter what happens, _do_ _not_ _leave_ _the_ _Circle_. Don't even let a single hair cross the line. Chase isn't the only one who can create sensory illusions. Demons are going to try to scare you into leaving your circle. _Don't_. The room could catch on fire around us, but you stay in here at all times. Otherwise, the barrier collapses and whatever you're summoning is going to go back to my world. And they usually have time to burn you alive before they disappear. Got it? You'll be safe as long as you stay in here."

Adam seemed a lot paler than he was earlier, but nodded. Leo nodded as well, taking a deep breath in an attempt to quell his suddenly rising nerves. Essentially, he and Adam were about to play with demons - murderous demons who would _love_ to tear them apart - and the only thing protecting them were chalk lines and lit candles. How reassuring.

If Douglas could do it, though, than Leo could, too. Besides, Adam was like the freaking demon-whisperer. He could start talking, and whoever was about to show up would hang on his every word. So, in theory, they were actually doing _better_ than Douglas.

That didn't stop Leo from standing almost right up against Adam, though. "Ready?"

"Ready," Adam confirmed, actually stepping in front of Leo a bit in a protective way.

So Leo cleared his throat and began reading. His voice was a bit shy, but he had practiced the Summons enough that each word came out flawlessly until, finally, he reached the end. The only word he understood was the final one - Ysthry, the imp's name - but he didn't dwell on it. Maybe Yahn would explain what all the words meant later. But right then, as Leo reached the end of the Summons and silence engulfed the room, he was too busy holding his breath to ask.

Nothing happened.

After several seconds, Adam frowned. "What a rip off."

Leo furrowed his brow and was about to agree when fog started to fill the room around them. It was thick, dark and sinister, advancing on them like it was intent on smothering everything in its path. Leo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Of all the doomsday scenarios he had envisioned, death by demonic fog wasn't exactly the way he wanted to go. It took a shocking amount of willpower for him not to bolt from the room. However, except for a sharp temperature drop and the disgusting scent of sulfur, the evil clouds stayed outside of the Circle. A few more seconds passed before a shadow appeared in the empty Summoning Circle, solidifying rapidly into the image of a small red dragon, her wings serving as her arms as well. With her little black horns and tiny teeth - Ysthry was smaller than Yahn - she would have almost been cute.

If one looked past the no-doubt venomous stingers on the tips of her two tails and the green acid that dripped from her mouth - despite it being closed - and left pockmark burns in the floor as she walked the perimeter of the Circle, using the peak of her wings as forepaws until she finally went still, watching them. Her voice sounded much lower than it should have been, considering how small she was - she sounded like a normal woman - as she sighed. "Why am I here, Masters?"

Leo's jaw actually dropped open as Adam looked back at him in shock. They did it. They had summoned a demon.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Yahn said from Adam's shoulder.

"Looks like Douglas has some competition," Leo observed slowly, a grin spreading across his face.

"Hey, maybe we can summon Chase!" Adam pointed out excitedly.

"Not without more practice, you can't," Yahn immediately responded. "You'll want to make sure you're comfortable summoning imps first. And you don't even know his real name."

Adam frowned. "Isn't it 'Chase'?"

From the Summoning Circle, Ysthry spoke again. "You have the voice of an _angel_."

Leo rolled his eyes - it was weird how every demon was instantly smitten with Adam - and ignored her. "We need to practice more and learn Chase's name, then," he listed. He glanced at Yahn. "What was it again?"

"I'm not telling you," he answered. "Master would be devastated to lose the half-breed, and I'm not going to be the one to set that in motion."

"We'll figure it out, then," Leo declared, crossing his arms. "Right, Adam?"

"Right!" Adam then pointed at Ysthry and the ever-growing acid burns on the tiles beneath her. "But we _might_ want to fix the floor first, since Mr. Davenport banned summoning."

"He'll un-ban it when we get Chase back," Leo mumbled. But, even if Mr. Davenport didn't - even if Adam lost interest and Leo forged on alone - Leo _was_ going to work until he was just as good at summoning as Douglas.

And _no_ _one_ was going to stop him.

* * *

_"It is much easier to become a father than to be one." _

**Kent Nerburn, _Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man_**

* * *

_"He who foresees calamities suffers them twice over."_

**Beilby Porteous**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

At some point during the night, a warm body had snuck into bed with him.

At first, Douglas was _very_ confused. He didn't recall bringing anyone to bed with him. His game had lost its edge when Adam, Bree and Chase came along, the results of multiple one night stands he'd stupidly had back in college. Not that he regretted the day Adam showed up at his doorstep, or the adoption papers he'd signed to keep the mothers from giving away Bree and, later, Chase. They were _his_ kids, after all; who were those women to give them up to strangers?!

Would've been a bit nice to actually remember who those women were, though. Their names and faces were long forgotten now.

The next thing he noticed was his bed mate's torn cat ear. Okay; so Chase had - for some reason - abandoned the couch and snuggled under the blankets without Douglas noticing.

_Damn_, he thought. _I'm a heavier sleeper than I remember._

Acknowledging that this wasn't the time to worry about his nocturnal habits, he sat up and gently shook Chase's shoulder. Chase yawned and shifted, waking up. "Chase, it's -" Douglas squinted at the clock - "three in the morning. What are you doing?"

"You don't remember?" Chase yawned again as Douglas shook his head. "I think you were having a bad dream or something," he elaborated. "You were kind of freaking out. Kicking a lot, saying things like 'he's gone'; stuff like that. So, since I couldn't sleep in the first place - that couch is made of _stone_, I swear - I just hopped up here with you. You calmed down, my back stopped hurting, and everybody but Oly won."

"It's cold in here," Oly groused loudly from the bathroom, where she was still trying to sleep in the bathtub.

Douglas ignored her to focus on Chase, who was no doubt watching him in the dark. Kids weren't supposed to help their parents with nightmares. It was supposed to be the other way around. But since when was Chase a normal kid?

And, more importantly, what the hell had he dreamed? Unfortunately, Douglas' nightmares usually came true, and he never could remember them until they happened. It was that way when his dad was killed. And when Donnie took his kids away. And when Krane went mad. He'd dreamed about it all in surprising detail, but hadn't remembered it until it was unfolding before him.

Déjà vu was some crazy shit.

It was alarming that something was coming up that he knew about but wouldn't recall until it was too late. He ground his teeth, trying to remember. There was a sharp feeling of panicked loss, but that was all he could remember. _Herne, don't let someone else die, _he found himself begging subconsciously. It was a slight surprise - he hadn't prayed in a while - but it was there.

"You all right?"

Chase's voice snapped him back to reality. "Yeah, yeah," he answered quickly. "Don't worry about me." After a second, he asked, "Are you going to stay here all night? Because I'm not a snuggly guy."

"You're _more_ than welcome to sleep on the floor," Chase mumbled, his voice getting drowsy as he started nodding off again.

Douglas chuckled a bit. "All right, smartass," he conceded, laying down again. It was a full-sized bed, after all; plenty of room for them both. Especially since Chase tended to sleep on his side. "'Night, Chasey," he mumbled.

But Chase was already asleep again, actually purring a bit for some reason. Douglas smiled sadly. At least _one_ of them was worry-free.

Douglas would've been, too, if he could remember that god forsaken nightmare Chase had mentioned. He stared at the ceiling - well, Chase's warrior smurf - for a while, attempting to focus, but exhaustion eventually forced him back to sleep again.

* * *

**So _that's_ where they came from! :O Who knew?!**

**Anyways, that was Chapter Five. :3**

**Any guesses as to Douglas' dream?**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever fries your bacon. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	6. Chapter 6 - Hunters

**I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but I gave my guinea pig a cherry mainly because I saw a picture online and wanted to see if what it said was true. It was. He proceeded to dye his chin and chest fur very deep red with it, giving him the appearance of blood dripping down his fur. So, with Satan pig in mind, I couldn't sleep - laughing too hard - and decided to finish this after his sticky self got a bath.**

**I now have a soggy, huffy guinea pig and a new chapter. Everyone but Chip wins!**

**Okay, Chip wins, too: He's munching on a baby carrot now.**

**Anyways, thank you to my many readers, my lovely reviewers, my various stalkers. :3 Ya'll kick many asses.**

**DisneyXDGirl: Well...I guess they're reattached. See, Chase-**

**"I taped them back on!"**

**He taped them back on. Can you come get the loose ones back? He looks ridiculous. Just don't steal anymore. :P**

**Moonlit: It likes you. A lot. It wants to know if you're single. :3**

**gg180000: He'll be itchy for days. What better revenge is there? :D**

**Thewriterswayoflife: Right?! Douglas doesn't seem patient enough to stay with one woman long enough for her to mother three children or to grow them in test tubes one at a time (which a couple of people are insisting was proved to have happened but have yet to show me where) when he could've grown all three at once.**

**Darkestking: Your name makes me want to grovel. No joke. I'm that weird chick that will turn off every light in the house when she's home alone and visit my horses outside at midnight without a flashlight because I don't like brightness. I thank thee, my liege!**

**Note: I was listening to the end of "The Countdown" from The Hunger Games music score, so that's why Chase's bit is written like it is.**

**All right, so let's get on with the namesake chapter of this place! Adam?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Appearances are a glimpse of the unseen."_

**Anaxagoras**

* * *

_"Premonitions, presentiments, the sensing of unseen presences and many allied experiences are due to the activity of the astral body and its reaction on the physical; their ever-increasing frequency is merely the result of its evolution among educated people."_

**Annie Besant**

* * *

**Chapter Six - Hunters**

_**Bree**_

When Leo suddenly acquired a taste for talking to a random crow, everyone was a bit surprised. Adam had always been the one to talk to any and everything, not Leo. Mr. Davenport was too busy to really notice and Tasha figured it was a phase. However, Bree was freaked out by it. When her eyes glitched - she couldn't think of anything else that could possibly be happening to her vision - the bird looked like a miniature acid-breathing _dragon_ by the third flicker.

It made no sense. Yahn looked like himself when her eyes acted up, and everyone else looked the same. So what the hell was going on with Leo's bird?! Was Yahn just messing with her (even though he had denied it)?

She narrowed her eyes at the imp in question, who was perched on the cyber desk with his eyes closed in obvious contentment. Adam and Leo were looking something up on a nearby computer, sometimes breaking into short-lived arguments about straight lines and circles. They must have been doing some geometry work. Or Leo would be; Adam would just be messing with shapes. In fact, Leo just loudly listed out the reasons that all squares were rectangles, but not all rectangles were squares.

Actually, he said that a bit _too_ loudly.

She leaned forward in her chair a bit. Leo and Adam were definitely up to something that she wasn't allowed to know about.

Which meant that Bree now felt like it was something she was _obligated_ to learn. It was her duty as a sister.

And having a little blackmail ammo never killed anyone.

Before she could concentrate on casual eavesdropping, though, her vision glitched again, returning to normal after seven flickers. She shook her head, annoyed. Why did her eyes have to mess up _now?_ Why did they have to mess up at all? She sighed. Maybe Davenport could fix it.

"See anything interesting?"

Bree glanced back at Yahn. "What?"

"You just checked the planes. I only see four planes," Yahn explained casually, now watching her. "But you see..." He took her hand and touched Chase's glass bead for a second. "Six or seven?" He let go, and she pulled her hand back like he had branded her. "So you'd see more than I do. Anything fun going on?"

Confused, Bree narrowed her eyes in what she hoped was an intimidating manner. "What's a 'plane?'"

Yahn smiled, wrapping his tail around himself. "Imagine that the world's an onion," he began. "What you see everyday is the first plane. Now, imagine peeling that layer off. It would still look like an onion, but we'd see more detail. That's the _second_ plane. The more layers we peel away, the more details we see that were invisible before. Chase can see through to plane nine. I can see to four. And _you_ can apparently see to about seven."

"I've never even _heard_ of these 'planes,'" Bree huffed. "Why would I be able to see them?"

"Because of that bead you're wearing," Yahn answered, pointing at it. "It has a charm on it. Strong one, too, if it lets you see that many planes. Chase and Master must have worked on it for _hours_."

"It's _charmed?!_" Bree was suddenly torn between breaking the twine that held it and throwing the bead across the room or trying to learn exactly what Douglas and Chase had created it to do.

Yahn shrugged. "Half-Breed wanted to give you an advantage, since Adam has one already. He can sense demons if he pays attention. You can see through their disguises, though."

"See through their disguises?" Bree echoed.

"Well, when we change forms, it's like we're wearing a costume. It's just an illusion. A puppet, if you will." Yahn took this opportunity to change into a brown field mouse. His whiskers twitched as he went on. "If you see through enough planes, you can see through the disguise. Fun fact: If you had been able to see the planes when Chase decided to create that vortex illusion to scare you, it wouldn't have appeared after the first two planes. Isn't it wonderful just how many things appear - and vanish - when you can see more than one fragment of existence?"

Bree cleared her throat, effectively ending the tangent speech the imp had gotten on.

"I digress," Yahn apologized. "Anyways, see if you can control it. I don't look like a field mouse on _all_ the planes."

Bree hesitated. What if something _bad_ happened when she actually tried to use it? For all she knew, it was something more sinister hiding beneath an innocent-looking charm. But _Chase_ had been the one to present it to her. He wouldn't hurt her, right? And he wouldn't let Douglas do anything, either.

_Right?_

Besides, why would they do anything just horribly evil if they weren't around to take advantage of it? Unless they had been planning on staying in the first place.

_Enough_, she told herself firmly. _Douglas wasted too much time saving our asses just to do something sinister. _He had time to get them, and he didn't. She set her jaw as she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and at least _try_ to figure their charm out.

Which brought up another thought: How did it _work?_ When she saw these "planes," the bead seemed to vibrate, so there _had_ to be some way to wake the latent charm up. But how? What was she thinking about when it happened? She furrowed her brow, trying to remember. It was always different: She would be trying to solve a problem on her homework, or she wondered why her eyes were messing up, or she was wondering what Leo and Adam were doing. It all seemed so..._random._ Maybe there was no trigger; maybe it went off at odd intervals on occasion.

That would be a useless charm, though, so it had to have some kind of catalyst.

It was starting to piss her off. Why give her a gift if they weren't going to explain how to use it?! There had to be something she was missing, and she wanted to know what it was _immediately_.

The bead suddenly started vibrating, heating up slightly as her vision was adorned with seven flickers again. Yahn looked like a mouse until four. Then, he was himself until it ended. Her eyesight resumed single - plane normalcy, and Yahn was a mouse again. So _that_ was how it worked: The desire to know set it off.

_What a stupid trigger, _she thought, taking the bead between her fingers. The intertwining pink-and-red bands in the center seemed to dance as she rolled it a bit between her thumb and pointer finger, bringing a subconscious smile to her face. Despite what it had just done, it looked totally normal now.

Crazy stuff, magic.

As Yahn turned back to his normal gargoyle self, Bree let go of the bead and nodded at him. "How did you know I was seeing planes?"

"Your eyes get a bit darker in color with each passing plane," Yahn answered, "just like everyone else's."

Bree was about to ask why, but the sound of a few small things clattering on the tiled floor caught her attention. She glanced at her brothers - Adam and Leo were picking up a few pens they'd knocked off of the computer desk - and cocked her head a bit in amazement. It was funny how wondering about Leo's bird had uncovered the tool Douglas and Chase had left for her to use.

Leo's bird; the same one that looked like a miniature dragon after three planes.

But if the planes merely saw past disguises...

Bree stiffened suddenly, clutching the armrests of her chair so tightly that her fingers began to burn.

Somehow, Leo knew what the bird was. He _had_ to. There was no other explanation.

He was talking to demons.

But where the hell had it come from?!

* * *

_"...Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold..."_

**Heather Dale, "Mordred's Lullaby"**

* * *

_"...Now our dreams are strewn beneath that icy Hunter's Moon; dying all too soon beneath the Hunter's savage Moon!..."_

**Celtic Thunder, "Hunter's Moon"**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Douglas and I were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch and staring at the laptop screen, our eyes locked on the timer. We were perfectly still, perfectly silent. The air was thrumming with anticipation and excitement.

_Sixty seconds._

Oly was perched on the bridge our shoulders created, one of her feet on each of us. Even she was quiet, watching, waiting.

_Fifty seconds._

We would know where Krane was, be able to track him. Even though the code would change and lock us out in a day, we still had some time to pinpoint his whereabouts. Would he know that we had broken through? Or would he be oblivious to it, like I used to be oblivious to Douglas tracking me when my GPS worked? Hopefully, it would be the latter.

_Forty seconds._

It was getting harder to hold still. Two days, we had been waiting. Each passing moment drew us closer to the hell spawn that was Krane. Each slow second brought a more serious mood on us all until it had intensified to that moment: All of us, muscles figuratively coiled to charge and adrenaline flowing, our hearts pounding as we readied ourselves.

_Thirty seconds._

I found myself baring my teeth, my ears pinned as I began to quiver. I didn't know what I could've done at that moment - leap through the computer and strangle Krane, maybe - but that didn't stop me from revving up. We had been on the defending side for much longer than we should have been. Now, we were going to trade places.

_Twenty seconds._

I noticed Douglas playing with the notepad in his lap, tapping the pencil impatiently. It was like he was creating a hunting cadence, setting the pace we would be chasing at, were Krane a fox and we the hunter's hounds.

_Ten seconds._

Oly opened her mouth and snapped her beak closed loudly.

_Nine_.

My tail started to lash violently as I dug my short nails into the couch's arm beside me, wishing that I had claws to scratch out Krane's eyes.

_Eight_.

Douglas sat up straighter, forcing Oly fully onto me as he leaned forward, pencil poised to write as fast as he could.

_Seven_.

My heart rate accelerated further; my essence - my very _form_ - began to shimmer from my intense anticipatory excitement. I had never been so eager in my life.

_Six_.

"We've got you now, you sly bastard," Douglas muttered, his eyes flashing.

_Five_.

An inhuman growl escaped my throat from deep in my chest; a deep, terrifying sound born of anger and primal instinct.

_Four_.

He had hurt my family. Wounded beasts are _twice_ as deadly.

_Three_.

We had out-smarted his code. We would find him.

_Two_.

_Maybe he will beg for mercy! Show him none, _my voice advised, rejoicing in my vengeful, violent thoughts.

_One_.

The screen lit up, revealing a map of Europe and one small purple dot in Rome, Italy labeled "Krane."

The quarry had been flushed from its hiding place.

Here come the hunters, Krane!

* * *

**Release the hounds! And the overly-ferocious Demon Chase for an extra dose of "Krane's fucked."**

**Anywho, feel free to review. Or don't. Doesn't matter. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	7. Chapter 7 - Actions Speak Loudest

**Here we are: Chapter Seven.**

**A bunch of filler! Yay, cream filling!**

**Also, the following rant may seem harsh, but it is what's happening. Live with it.**

**Rant Mode: _Engaged!_**

**I'd like to note that I've been nominated in that Lab Rats Award Show thingy.**

**I'd also like to say thanks; now _stop_ _nominating_ _me_ _for_ _shit_.**

**I _hate_ having my story pitted against others. Hybrid is here to entertain, _not_ be paraded like a show dog. Trust me: She gave me all of one hour to pull out, and I would have.**

**If I had been online, which I _wasn't_.**

**Seriously: Don't nominate me for things. I mean, thanks and all, but I'd rather _not_ deal with competitive bullshit.**

**"But it's for fun, Zara!"**

**Don't care. I don't want to be a part of it. So don't do it again. Enjoy the demon love here, not in a poll. Besides, different people have different tastes. Don't be attempting to shove Hybrid in their faces for the sake of an adventure tag.**

**Rant Mode: _Disengaged!_**

**Okay, I'm all zen now. :3 Thanks to my many readers, my reviewers, my stalkers (who I like to poke with sticks). I'm all happy inside. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl: I'm all for murderous rage, but tone it down a bit, sweetie... O_o**

**Moonlit: Hunter is pleased by this knowledge.**

**DarkestKing: But...why are you thanking _me?!_ What did I do?**

**Anyways, let's get on with Chapter Seven! Douglas? In a better mood?**

**"Fuck off."**

**Okay, how about Leo then?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."_

**Carrie Fisher**

* * *

_"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."_

**George Washington**

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Actions Speak Loudest**

**_Chase_**

Krane was all over the place.

His geo-leaping ability was getting on my nerves. Luckily, he always seemed to end up back in Rome.

Well, not lucky for Rome, but lucky for Douglas and I. If he was centering his operation somewhere, he'd be easier to follow.

Although we hadn't the _faintest_ idea what he would want in Rome. What was he up to: Kill some civilians, plot our murders, and eat some lasagna?

If I had an extremely evil plan, I'd place it in the Siberian wilderness. It had defeated both Napoleon and Hitler before. It was like the eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not invade Russia in winter.

But Italy was nice, too.

After an hour - during which Krane had visited several locations in Europe - Douglas finally sighed. "At least we know where he's spending most of his time."

I nodded. "We get to visit Italy. Always wanted to see the Vatican."

Douglas thumped my ear.

And, to my total surprise, it actually _hurt_ this time. Not much - about as much as a rubber band popping someone on the thigh - but it was still so unexpected that it completely overrode my desire to snap at him for touching my ears.

He had _never_ aimed to cause me pain when he thumped my ears or popped the back of my head before. Did he even intend to do so _this_ time? What was going on?!

I hissed loudly and rubbed my ear while - with a shocking amount of resentment - Douglas growled, "No Vatican."

What the hell was _his_ problem? "Not even just to see it? Really? Come on: Lovely architecture, historical landmarks, so on. Wouldn't that be fun?" At his glare, I decided to try another tactic. "We could laugh at the pope's hat."

He didn't even crack a smile. It was extremely strange. Instead, he flatly stated, "The Vatican is the center of a hate-fueled religion. If you want to visit, fine. But I'm not going there."

Whoa; _I_ obviously missed something. I mean, it was just a _place_. No need to freak out. Visiting it wouldn't turn him into some overly-devout Christian priest. _Damn_. But I'd only ever seen him look so violent - almost shaking with hatred - as he did at that moment once before: When he saved us from Krane in the Lab months ago. Hell, even when I betrayed him after the avalanche, he hadn't seemed so dangerously angered.

Apparently, this was a sore spot of some kind. _Maybe_ it was time for a subject change.

I leaned as far away from him as I could in case he decided to take a more forceful swing at me - I would have to watch that when he was in such a dark mood, I guess - and pointed at the notepad in his lap carefully. It was covered with information - well, mainly by town names and the amount of time spent there - but he had circled two cities: Rome, Italy and Madrid, Spain. "What's in Spain?"

His expression - though still resentful and a tad distant - softened significantly with melancholic regret at my movements and relief to be talking about something - _anything_ - else. He pointed at the amount of time Krane had spent in Madrid. It was a little more than five minutes. "He was there longer than anywhere else, excluding Rome."

I frowned, lowering my ears a bit. "So? Why does that matter?"

"If he was after something, he could just show up and leave in seconds," Douglas elaborated. "But, if his visit was to see someone - a situation he wouldn't be able to maintain full control over - then it would take longer. So he spoke with someone in Madrid. He _had_ to. We need to learn who."

"To Spain, then?" I asked, tilting my head.

Douglas nodded. "To Spain. Which means that I'll have to arrange the trip." He stood up, placing the notepad and pencil down on the couch beside me. "Watch him," he said while pointing at the computer screen, which still showed Krane's dot in the middle of _everywhere_.

"Got it," I responded.

He gave me a very small, sad half-smile before he started towards the door. Whatever nerve I'd struck earlier was obviously still bothering him; his whole demeanor seemed to display serious depression.

Oly - lazy thing had fallen asleep on the back of the couch behind my head - opened an eye. "When will you be back?"

He paused, the door halfway open. After a second, he answered, "When I am." Without further explanation, he stepped from the room, closing the door behind him, separating himself from us.

I stared at the door for a moment, thoroughly confused.

What just happened? One minute, he was fine. The next, he turned all depressed and bitter. What in the _actual_ _fuck_ was that about?!

"Who pissed in _his_ cereal today?" Oly asked, sitting up and stretching.

I shrugged. "No idea." After a second, I nudged her with my shoulder. "Does he randomly wander off sometimes when he's upset?"

"Yep," Oly drawled. "He'll probably get that trip set up and go on a soul-searching walk through town just so he can be alone with his thoughts or some such human crap until he's in a better mood. Going to be gone for hours."

I sighed. Great; stuck watching a computer screen for an unknown amount of time. What fun.

Oly jumped down onto the seat Douglas had vacated and eyed the computer. "Is that Krane guy actually worth finding?"

Chase pinned his ears. "Totally. Why?"

She sat down and wrapped her tail around herself so that the tip rested in her lap. "Because why would you want to? Master described some of what Krane can do. That psycho is easily on par with afrits. _And_ he can appear anywhere and vanish an instant later. If you annoy him, what could you do to prevent him from appearing, slitting your throat, and disappearing in the matter of seconds?"

"I could..." I trailed off at this dose of reality. She had a point. He could be in and out in a second when it came to a murder. It potentially made him deadlier than Adam or Bree.

Because Adam could crush a rib cage, skull or wind pipe without a second thought. And Bree would only have to run circles around someone fast enough for a few minutes. There was no oxygen in the center of a vortex; it all got sucked out and created a vacuum. She could suffocate people without ever touching them. Though neither of them ever brought attention to these troubling facts, they were no less true for it.

And what could _I_ do, you ask? Best bet was a game of cat-and-mouse. A hunt or drawn-out fight that lead to a fatal trap. That was me: Cunning trickery, a cloak-and-dagger kind of guy. Hand-to-hand combat would only get me so far against people stronger or more skilled than myself.

Of course, I could always light someone on fire. But burning flesh tended to smell god-awful due to the sulfur that was a part of skin's composition.

But that all took time, which a sneak attack from Krane would be lacking.

Finally, I set my jaw. "We just have to stay off of his radar," I concluded.

"A fair tactic," Oly said agreeably. "But you have to meet him someday. What then?"

"Then," I responded, "we'll just have to be ready, won't we?"

"Easier said than done," she noted.

I grinned at that. "Then it's a good thing that I'm a man of action."

* * *

_"Overconfidence blurs out the risk. Inferiority magnifies it."_

**Toba Beta, _Betelgeuse Incident_**

* * *

_"Overconfidence precedes carelessness."_

**Toba Beta, **_**My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut**_

* * *

**_Leo_**

Watching Ysthry flinch when given an order sucked.

It was like Leo was cracking a whip across her tiny shoulders, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not if he wanted her to find Chase.

Well, actually, she was supposed to find Douglas. Since Chase could be summoned, it made sense that he could be several countries away from an origin point in seconds. So tracking the one that _couldn't_ spontaneously transport was the most logical solution.

Too bad Ysthry hadn't come up with anything.

Well, that wasn't exactly right; she had produced a tidbit of information that was _almost_ useful: Douglas had flown from Mission Creek to Chicago's O'Hare on a direct flight. From there, though, they had nothing. No way to track it, either, since Ysthry couldn't check black-market travel options without being in Chicago to begin with. So, after a few days, Leo dismissed her.

The day after that, Leo had spent hours - home alone, thankfully; Bree was starting to get suspicious - with Yahn and Adam, drawing more complicated Circles and summoning progressively more powerful imps. A few growled loudly at everyone, while others were quite friendly. Sometimes, the floor caught on fire or ice formed as the demon arrived. One even showed up in a flash of light that was almost blinding.

The most important thing, though, was that they were being called _correctly_. Leo's confidence swelled with each successful summoning and dismissal.

In fact...

Though Yahn still claimed the opposite, Leo felt that he was ready for a bigger challenge. And, of course, a bigger challenge meant Chase. Who else? He had all of a few days' practice under his belt; surely he could draw his brother into a Summoning Circle.

If he knew Chase's _name_. Vânăto was part of it. But what was the rest? Yahn wasn't telling; he hadn't even helped in the research portion. Leo had painstakingly spent all of ten minutes looking up a set of Circles and the words that were needed to call - and _hold_ - a demon of Chase's caliber. The Circle designs were more intricate, and the Summoning phrases were much longer than anything that they had attempted before. And while Adam insisted that Chase's name was "Chase," Leo was convinced that Yahn would slip up at some point. Leo and Adam just had to pay attention. They had taken to following him around in secret, but he had yet to say anything. But he would. He _would_.

And when that day came - and they held the knowledge to bring Chase forth from _wherever_ - everyone would be so thrilled that no one would mind the rampant summoning that had been secretly going on in the Daven-Dooley home.

Chase would be home, and Leo would be free to summon anything he wanted at anytime he pleased.

Everybody would win!

Well, except for Douglas. But who cared about him, anyways?

* * *

**Aw. Harsh Leo. But he's determined to get Chasey back, so now, we wait.**

**I've always thought that Chase would make a lovely assassin. Wouldn't he?**

**And that vortex-oxygen thing? 100% true. Not kidding. Bree could seriously kill someone like that.**

**Also, does Douglas still seem a bit...I don't know, _resentful_ to you? O_o**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	8. Chapter 8 - Zealot

**Holy hell, everyone jumped on the "I hate Leo" bandwagon and took it for a spin!**

**Did he trample your rose gardens or something?!**

**Try to see things from his point of view: He and Douglas have _no_ love for one another. At all. And he wants his brother back, damn it! He's gonna try to get Chase home at all costs.**

**Wouldn't you, if your parent or sibling vanished?**

**Anyways, thanks to my reviewers, my silent readers, my lovely fans and wonderful literary colleagues. :3 You rock.**

**Moonlit: Hunter would like to point out that torturing Leo would likely ruin the story.**

**DisneyXDGirl: I think you'll find Krane's eventual death most satisfying...and a gateway to a much bigger problem. *cough cough* Hint, maybe? Besides, Douglas isn't crabby about religion. Just Christianity.**

**Darkestking: Chase is Chase is Chase. Wasn't Hybrid spent coming to terms with the idea that being half-demon _didn't_ guarantee his villain status?**

**Anyways, this is kind of short...and a filler...but here it is! So, Douglas?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion—several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight."_

**Mark Twain**

* * *

_"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it with religious conviction."_

**Blaise Pascal**

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Zealot**

_**Chase**_

Night was well upon us by the time Douglas came back. He seemed like he was in a slightly better mood than he was when he'd dramatically exited earlier. Oly had decided to sleep on the bed as long as she could, since Douglas would kick her off eventually. I myself was chilling on the kitchenette counter as a rat - just to freak him out because he'd get a kick out of it (we had the weirdest relationship, I swear) - when he finally decided to show up.

It took him a moment to notice me after he turned the light on. Instead of jumping, though - killjoy - he broke into a grin and chuckled. And it grew stronger and stronger until he was leaning against the counter for support, his eyes closed as he covered his mouth to muffle the sound of his laughter.

What? Hello, I was a _rat_ on the _counter_. Why was he _laughing?_

"Chase, your tail," he managed between bouts of giggling. "Your tail is _blue_, dumb ass!"

My tail wasn't -

My tail was blue. A lovely yet unnatural royal blue. Whoops.

It was my first attempt at a rat. Sue me.

"Hey, I'd like to see _you_ take a crack at this shapeshifting thing," I squeaked indignantly. I crossed my paws and turned my back to him, my nose in the air and eyes closed. Of course, my mock offense was ruined when two hands closed around me gently and lifted me into the air. "Let go of me!"

"But this is a rare scientific find!" he declared formally. "How many blue-tailed Norwegian rats are left in the world today?! You're practically _extinct!"_

"I'll bite you," I warned, struggling a bit.

I could hear the smug smile in his voice. "No, you won't."

It sucked because it was true. I'd nip at him, but I wouldn't draw blood if I could help it.

Even if blood tasted nice. Seriously; I liked the iron flavoring. It was wonderful. Similar to sucking on a coin, I suppose.

_Bite him? Light him on fire!_

Hey, my little voice! Been a while since I'd heard from it. Maybe it was on vacation?

Douglas finally set me loose on the floor, where I turned back into my normal self. Brushing imaginary dust from my shirt, I huffed, "_Thank_ you." He held his hands up in front of him, palms opened in a show of innocence. I perked my ears at him. "So...where have you been?"

He crossed his arms and rolled his weight onto one heel. "Around town, mother dearest."

I raised an eyebrow at him, frowning. "You all right?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just fine." When I just stared at him, the corner of his mouth twitched. "I'm seriously fine, Chase."

"Then what happened earlier?" I asked, perking my ears. "I mean, most people don't get all pissy over -"

"I'm not a fan of Christianity," he interrupted, muttering bitterly. "That's all."

I started to feel like I was dancing through a mine field as I pressed on. "Why not? What did they do to you?"

He was quiet for a moment before he finally answered, "They did _enough_."

I started to sense that Douglas had a history with the church. "Like what?"

He shot me a look. "What's with all the questions?"

"I'm curious," I responded. "No one gets that angry for no reason."

"How do you know that?" Douglas countered. "I could be in a random state of anger that's brought about by bullshit religious teachings."

I threw my hands up innocently. "Whoa, there; no need to wage war. I mean, even if you're atheist -"

"I'm _not_," he interrupted. "I'm - for lack of a simpler term - a non-practicing Pagan. I'm not an atheist. Not by a long shot."

That was news to _me_. "Okay; still, though," I started again. "It's not like the church personally showed up and kicked you in the nads in the name of Jesus."

"They did a lot worse," Douglas muttered. "Trust me."

I took a step forward. "Like what?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking down. "Chase, you don't want to know."

"Then _why_ am I asking?" I sassed, throwing my arms wide open.

He let out a snort of laughter. "It's extremely hard to argue against that logic," he noted.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit proud of that. "Come on; it can't be _that_ bad."

He eyed me wearily, obviously debating with himself. Another minute passed before he asked, "Do you want to meet my dad?" When I nodded eagerly - finally, I got to see my grandparents - Douglas said, "You can't. Some Christian asshole killed him."

I swore that you could hear my little dream of meeting my grandfather shatter. It wasn't the answer I had expected, to be honest. "Seriously?" _Damn,_ my voice sounded pathetically small. "But..._why?"_

"Dad wasn't a Christian, either," Douglas growled. "That was literally the only reason." He let out a loud sigh between his teeth. "You see, Christianity is an insecure faith. If you don't believe what they do, then you must be a threat to their religion. And, of course, some idiots take it too far and think that they need to eliminate these 'threats.'" He scoffed. "Dad never hurt anyone. Ever. But he was gunned down for it, anyways."

"Gunned down?!" I squeaked, feeling a bit sick. Who in their _right_ _mind_ would kill someone over religious differences?

"The asshole that did it even _bragged_ during his trial," Douglas spat.

_See? If _you_ ruled the world, this wouldn't happen, would it?_

That wasn't entirely true. The world was a massive place, and I couldn't be everywhere at once. Things like that would still occur.

"So I guess you could say that Christians - what was it you used? - kicked our family in the nads in the name of Jesus." Douglas finished with a sigh.

I hesitated before I slowly stated, "But _one_ _guy_ did it. It wasn't like assassination orders came from the Vatican."

For a moment, I was worried that I'd said something wrong. Douglas sent a hard stare in my direction until I actually began to fidget uncomfortably. I actually wanted to swallow myself and vanish into a paradox of nonexistence just to escape. However, finally, his expression softened. "I know. It's hard to ignore what caused that guy to act, though. If he wasn't an over-zealous Christian, then Dad would be around to meet you."

Well...

That didn't mean that...

But Douglas was _technically_ right, so...

Screw it. This whole thing made my brain hurt. I'd think about it later. "I'm sorry," I finally said.

Confusion ran briefly over Douglas' face. "Why? You didn't do anything. Besides, it was about twenty years ago."

"Still," I insisted. "You _did_ say that I didn't want to know..."

He smiled fondly with a chuckle. "Yeah, but you're stubborn. I figured that you'd push it, anyways."

I was about to protest when Oly suddenly decided to interrupt us. "Shut the hell up! Can't a demon sleep around here?"

Douglas seemed to notice Oly for the first time. "Why are you on the bed?"

"Because I'm _not_," she huffed reluctantly before getting up and jumping to the couch. "See?"

Douglas raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think so."

Oly looked ready to respond, but I nudged Douglas before she could. "So, you get that trip to Spain set up?"

"Yep," Douglas answered, seeming a tad relieved at the subject change. "Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be in Madrid." He nodded at the laptop that still displayed Krane's coordinates. He had stopped for the night in Rome. "Anywhere else we should know about?"

I shook my head. "Just Rome and Madrid."

"_Seriously?" _Oly snapped. "I'm _sleeping_ here!"

"Shut up," I growled.

"He's a rare blue-tailed rat," Douglas added. "Better not mess with him. He'll shed on you."

"Kiss my blue tail," I muttered, smacking his shoulder. At least he was in a better mood. "Anyways, who are we hunting in Spain?"

"No idea," Douglas answered. "But I have a very, _very_ intricate plan to find out."

Oh, this I _had_ to hear. "What 'plan'?"

"Okay, get this," Douglas began, holding his arms out in front of him with both index fingers raised. "We go to Spain, show up at the coordinates, and - this is the important part - _we knock on the door_." He clapped his hands together once before he nudged me with his elbow. "Genius, right?"

_Can I interest you in smacking the stupid out of this fool?_

_No_, I answered. _Not today, at least._

* * *

**Well, it was a bit short, but there you go. :3**

**Douglas and Donald sure came to terms with Charles' death in different ways. O_o**

**And don't worry: Next chapter will have some Davenports in it.**

**And - for the record - I have nothing against Christianity. Douglas does. O_o**

**Feel free to review. Or not. :3 Whatever.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	9. Chapter 9 - Manipulation

**All right, all you Leo haters: Maybe I'm a bit blind to whatever set this off due to me knowing the entire story? Or, at least, how it ****_ends…_****.Ye of little faith….**

**Anyways, thanks to all you reviewers, you silent readers, you less-than-benevolent stalkers who are camped out in front of Chase's dressing room. :D Ya'll piss him off so much. It's fun to watch.**

**Moonlit: **** Preeeeetty sure that Chase isn't dead, so…yeah….No dead siblings here….Besides, they lost Chase for three months before he came home for a bit over a week and vanished again. It's only been about a week since he poofed for the second time, so getting over it hasn't happened yet.**

**DisneyXDGirl:**** Let me help you with that foreshadowing about Krane with an extremely vague hint because I'm a troll like that:**

_"Sometimes I think I'm crumbling from the inside out. I can feel a parasite gnawing at the coffin encasing my soul and exposing the pretense of overconfidence for what it truly is- dust…"_

**Ella Schmeits, ****_Dust_**

**If you get it, I personally want to shake your hand. No joke.**

**DarkestKing:**_"Continue the great writing in the name of the Darkest King." _**You are aware that I'm not really all that into listening to people when they tell me to do something, right? I write in the unholy names of Douglas and Demon Chase, not yours. :3 **

**Anyways, let's get on with it! Miss Bree?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"I love each and every one of you, but, like my family, you thrill, you frustrate, you anger."_

**John Buchanan  
**

* * *

_"Earn cash in your spare time: Blackmail your friends!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Manipulation**

**_Bree_**

"Your brothers are up to something. They won't stop following me."

Bree looked up from her phone – and the text message conversation with Owen – to find Yahn sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Oddly enough, his two tails – Adam and Leo – were nowhere to be seen at the moment. He had somehow evaded them for a while. "They're _always_ up to something," she noted, raising her eyebrows. "Could you be more specific?"

"Like I said, they follow me around," he stated again, shooting her a look like he was slightly annoyed at having to repeat himself. "And I think I know why. Something tells me that they want Chase's name."

She shrugged. "What good would that do them? It's not like they can summon him." She hesitated. "Wait, can they summon him?"

"No," Yahn assured instantly. "By no means. They aren't ready for him yet."

_Yet? _"How do you know that?

"Because I'm over 13,000 years old," Yahn huffed, pointing at himself. "I know when summoners aren't ready for something."

Bree suddenly sat up straight, narrowing her eyes at Yahn. "Since when are they summoners?"

Yahn frowned. "Since a couple of days after Master left. They didn't tell you?" Bree shook her head instantly, causing Yahn to shrug himself. "Sorry; I figured that you knew. It wasn't like they were good at hiding Ysthry."

"Who was Ysthry?" Bree asked.

"Little imp that Leo kept around for a few days," Yahn explained. "You probably saw her. She was small and red. Looked like a little dragon. Leo talked to her when she was a bird sometimes."

"So _that's_ how he knew what that bird was," Bree declared, letting the new information sink in. "So…who taught them how to summon?"

"I helped, but they did a lot of research on their own," Yahn supplied.

"You _helped?_" Bree fixed him with a look. "You know that Mr. Davenport banned summoning from the house, right?"

Yahn crossed his arms. "I'd rather help them break the rules than have them try it on their own. _Especially_ when it comes to summoning. They could get themselves – or, god forbid, _someone else –_ hurt or killed if they mess up."

Bree dropped her phone into her lap. She hadn't actually asked how dangerous summoning was; she had just assumed that it was fairly safe and simple. "How could they get someone killed?"

"It only takes one word out of place or a wavy line in the Circles for a demon to escape and take everyone it can out," Yahn stated. "It's a very exact process."

"What's an exact process?"

Mr. Davenport's voice made her turn around in time to see him fully descend the stairs. Normally, she would use this as blackmail. However, as it was incredible dangerous….

"Summoning," Bree answered.

Mr. Davenport froze halfway to the kitchen. "Summoning?" he echoed.

"Leo and Adam," Yahn supplied, ever the helpful tattle tale. "They think that they are good enough to call Chase, but they aren't. They've only ever summoned imps."

"They're _summoning?!"_ Mr. Davenport hissed. Anger made its way across his face.

Well, watching Leo and Adam get in trouble was a halfway-decent consolation prize for losing her blackmail ammo.

"They're getting cocky, too," Yahn said. "Good thing they don't know Chase's name. Although they are following me around when they think I'm not looking. Most likely to see if I'll say it."

Mr. Davenport frowned. "Douglas told me once. Something Romanian…." He trailed off, lost in concentration for a second until he finally snapped his fingers. "Îngrijirea Vânătoare, I think." Upon Yahn's nod, Mr. Davenport grinned. "My memory is _awesome_," he boasted.

Bree rolled her eyes. "Mr. Davenport? Leo and Adam? Summoning?"

Mr. Davenport grew serious again. "Right, right. Thank you. Any idea where their grounded butts are now?"

Yahn shrugged. "In the Lab, maybe?"

"I haven't seen them all day, so probably," Bree added.

Mr. Davenport walked to the elevator and pressed the down button.

"Oh, I want to come!" Bree said suddenly, scrambling up from her seat and shooting to his side in a burst of speed.

It took Yahn a bit longer to make it across the room – he wasn't bionic, after all – but he jumped onto Bree's shoulder. "Hopefully Adam won't be angry."

"He'll get over it," Bree said with a shrug. "If not, just bring him some ice cream or something. He'll forgive you instantly."

Unknown to Bree, Adam and Leo had forgiven both of them already; they were about to be grounded, of course, but they had been watching the living room on Eddy's monitor.

And they now had Chase's name.

* * *

_"This is a mind trick: Think of a number. Double it. Add eight. Half it. Minus the number you started with. Now close your eyes. It's dark, isn't it?"_

**Jewels**

* * *

_"Some mistakes can never be refuted."_

**Immanuel Kant  
**

* * *

**_Chase_**

I'm a patient person.

Really, I am.

But waiting for Douglas to summon me to Spain was testing my willpower.

_Especially_ since Oly was indulging her more mischievous side by turning into exact replicas of passersby in the middle of Røros. It shocked people to see their twin only to have the doppelganger vanish by the time they performed the obligatory double-take.

Actually, it was pretty funny to watch. What was bothering me was that she was doing so for _hours._ And the fact that it was cold as Hell!

So, there I sat, almost-patiently waiting on the sidewalk in the form of my normal human self, and I was less than pleased. My back was beginning to ache from maintaining the different form as I watched Oly terrorize civilians for her own amusement. I let out a growl and fidgeted a bit, scratching my back as best I could. I had to look like a homeless kid again, since I didn't actually have a jacket heavy enough for the weather.

You know what? I might as well twist that to my advantage.

I scanned the small crowd – everyone walked everywhere, I swear – until I found an older woman. She had a wedding band on, which meant that she was probably very sympathetic when it came to kids. Shuffling my feet and looking down like I was embarrassed, I gently touched her arm as she passed. She stopped and looked at me with a frown.

"I really hate to bother you, Ma'am," I began "shyly" in flawless Norwegian, "but my dad kind of kicked me out of the house when he found out that I wasn't actually his son. You see, my mother kind of…well…you get the idea. Anyways, I haven't actually eaten since two days ago, and I don't have any money to get something." I shot her my best upset kid expression. "I hate to have to ask, but anything you have – even spare change – will help."

She broke into a smile and dug in her pocket for a second before she took my hand and pressed thirty krones – just shy of five American dollars – into my palm. "Good luck," she said kindly before walking away.

Woo hoo! I made thirty krones! How much more could I get?

In the next hour, I managed to charm a total of 184 krones – about thirty dollars – from random strangers. Can I just say that I loved Norway? The people there were much more generous than they were back in Mission Creek. Add that to Hessdalen Valley, and I wished that I could stay just a _little bit longer._ But, alas, Krane had to be stopped. Still, with no real timeline from Douglas and some money to spend that was only accepted in Norway, I bought a pizza for lunch. I ate half of it and gave the rest – and the remainder of the money I had earned; about twenty krones – to some kids that actually _were_ homeless. Poor things were so excited that it took a five minute thank you fest before I could escape from them. I kind of wished that I could have helped them more, but I had no clue when my one-way ticket out of there would be arriving. Besides, the world was a hard place; it was every man for himself, pretty much.

It was about this time that Oly finally grew bored and showed up beside me as my twin. "Where the hell were you?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" I asked, my voice innocent.

"No," she huffed, her voice sounding extremely strange coming from my mouth.

"Then it wasn't your business, was it?" I finished.

She cuffed me upside the head rather forcefully. "I can't guard you if you don't stay in one spot."

_Kick her ass for hitting you!_

"You weren't exactly guarding me earlier," I pointed out, rubbing at the back of my head and ignoring my voice. Though Douglas had ordered her to keep me safe – as if I needed a babysitter - she had interpreted that as only needing to worry about me if I got in trouble. As long as I was doing fine on the sidewalk, she was going to do her own thing while keeping one eye on my whereabouts. It was just one example of how demons can twist orders around to our advantage.

Don't mess with demons, kids. We've got _tons_ of experience in manipulation. It was kind of our thing.

"I was watching you," she quipped, crossing her arms. People were shooting us strange looks now. I mean, a woman's voice coming from my twin? How much more unusual could you get?

"Do what? Get kidnapped?" I gestured broadly. "Look at all the stranger danger here!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could handle a random stranger."

I was about to give a totally awesome retort when she suddenly held up a hand. "I'm being summoned," she hissed quietly before she ducked into an alleyway.

Because people vanishing on the street would just be weird. No joke.

I scrambled after her as discreetly as I possibly could – I knocked over a trashcan, which made a lot of noise – and watched as she dissolved into an ink-black puff of oily smoke before vanishing completely.

Well, at least now I knew that Douglas was in Madrid. Hooray for progress!

It was five minutes later that I felt the tugging of a summons. Strange, since it should have taken Douglas a bit longer to elaborate on Oly's Circles enough to create mine. Oh, well. Maybe he was just in a hurry?

Which meant that I could mess with him if he messed up!

As the little tingling pulls began to feel like a dozen fishing hooks were pulling me in several different directions – _ouch_, by the way; being summoned hurt like a bitch – I could hear whispers of the words that were being spoken, weaving the magical net that would hold me in my –

No way! _No fucking way!_ I'm the luckiest demon alive!

_Oh! Burn him alive!_

I was practically giggling with excited joy as I finally succumbed to the summons. Everything was dark and timeless, and I had no form as I travelled to wherever Douglas was calling me. And, even though I knew that Douglas would undoubtedly be rolling his eyes, I decided to add a little flare to my arrival. I had blue flames lick along the lines of my Circle as I had small, clear crystals grow along the edge of his to catch the candle light an refract it into dozens of tiny rainbows. As I began to gather fully in the Summoning Circle – now displaying my full demonic form for the world to see – I was laughing before I could even see him. As soon as I could talk, I caused a bolt of lightning to fly from the ceiling to the floor, creating a massive clap of thunder as I loudly declared, "_You messed up!"_

* * *

**Boom! Cliffy!**

**I wonder what Chase is going to do? And how his summoning was messed up?**

**Well, I know. But I'm betting that you're wondering.**

**Which means that you'll have to tune in next time!**

**And can I just note that it's always fun to write when Chase decides to be a less-than-moral guy?**

**It's always fun. :3**

**Anyways, feel free to drop a review! Or don't! It's your life! :D**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	10. Chapter 10 - Gone

**God damn, people. I'm not going to acknowledge reviews where the majority is "Leo die!" This is all happening for a reason. Tone it the fuck down with your anti-Leo protests! It's fun to read because I know something ya'll don't, but do you really have to scream it to high heaven? I get it: You think Leo sucks. Caught it. Loud and clear. Move on.**

**Anyways, thanks to you readers who hide in shadows, you reviewers who - though I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to loudly express your opinions here - like to repeat yourselves (which is usually fun, but is making Leo yell at me to yell at you that Adam is just as guilty in this as he is; I don't like my various characters to be whining to me about their problems; he also wants me to point out that he was trying to get Adam and Bree to move on in the beginning of Hybrid. Now that he can actually bring Chase back, he's going to), and you who make up this torch-and-pitchfork-wielding mob outside my house. :3 It's nice.**

**Thewriterswayoflife: *Clears throat***

**Rules of Summoning in the Hybrid Universe**

**1) All demons can be summoned. They can refuse, but it feels like being tied to four horses all running in different directions.**

**2) All summoning takes place in two circles: A Summoner's Circle - in which the summoner stands - and the Summoning Circle - in which the demon will arrive. Both circles are surrounded by and a part of line patterns. The more intricate and elaborate the pattern, the stronger the demon. No lines cross into the circles. At the poles of the Circles - due north, south, east, and west - lit incense is placed. At the mid-poles - northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast - and between the two Circles are lit candles. The exact number and set up of these candles varies from demon to demon. More powerful demons require runes - an old style of writing - as an extra binding catalyst.**

**3) Several spoken words - including its name - single out the demon and bind it, causing it to appear in the Summoning Circle. These words and circle patterns combine with the incense and candles to weave a kind of magic netting along the edges of the Summoning Circle, effectively capturing the demon. Do not step out of the Circle until proper safety measures are in place! Doing so will cause the magic net to effectively shatter, releasing the creature. Weaker entities such as imps usually have summoning words that are only a few sentences long. The stronger the creature, the longer the summons. Some stronger afrits take five or six minutes to call, while more powerful beings - such as Joraed, Soad, and Azazel (deceased) among others very rarely summoned to this plane - could take up to twenty minutes to summon.**

**4) _Do_ _not_ _fuck_ _up_. Saying one word out of place or having even the slightest wobble in the Circle lines will create holes in the net. Demons can easily escape through these, which - again - shatters the hold on them; will included. At this point, they will return to Otherworld in a matter of seconds. More than enough time to utterly destroy a summoner.**

**5) Remember, the summoning words bound the demon's will to the summoner's own. This means that the demon will have to obey orders. Note: Though the words did bind the demon's will to the summoner's, demons are able to interpret the orders as they want while still performing the action. Be careful! A demon whose will is bound cannot be summoned by a different person until it is released. This prevents demons from being summoned continuously, unable to complete their orders due to constant changes in location.**

**6) Dismissals release the demon safely back into the Otherworld.**

**Remember that Chase - being only half-demon - will be governed by most of these rules.**

**But not all...**

**And get on that story, woman! I wanna read it! D:**

**DisneyXDGirl: Yes, my plan is working! Let the hate flow through you...**

**gg180000: _Yes_. Thank you! You get it! Cocky little buggers. :3**

**Anyways, lets do this! Chasey?**

**"..."**

**Still speechless? Hmm...Mr. Davenport?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now..."_

**B.O.B. (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore), "Airplanes"**

* * *

_"...Isn't it ironic; don't you think?...And who would've thought it figures?..."_

**Alanis Morissette, "Ironic"**

* * *

**Chapter Ten - Gone**

**_Douglas_**

He stood still, poised in his Circle, his eyes locked on the center of the Summoning Circle nearby.

The Summoning Circle that remained worryingly empty as several tense seconds passed. A few more went by without incident. The scene seeming eerily familiar, Douglas ground his teeth and recited the minute - long summons again.

No ice. No wind. No _anything_ that Chase liked to create when he arrived just for his own amusement.

Douglas shot a sideways look at Oly, who was perched on his shoulders. She frowned and scratched the back of her head, appearing confused. "He was perfectly fine when I was summoned."

"Something's obviously wrong _now_," Douglas pointed out. The sense of familiarity grew stronger with each passing second. It wasn't that Chase wouldn't come; he _couldn't_. Chase wouldn't put himself through the excruciating pain of refusing a summons _twice_ just to mess with Douglas' head.

"Leave it to Half-Breed to get himself killed in the span of ten minutes," Oly muttered.

"He could still be alive," Douglas snapped. "Maybe someone else summoned him? You know he can't feel or respond to my summons if someone is holding his will."

"Who else knew his name, genius?"

Oly. Horrifyingly blunt, logical Oly. No one besides Donnie knew Chase's name outside of Oly and Yahn.

A sickening panic rose in his chest, causing him to remain frozen in place for what seemed like eternity. Hell, maybe time stopped.

No.

_Oh_, _Gods_, _no_.

This wasn't happening.

It _couldn't_ be happening.

Chase couldn't be gone.

No cosmic power or omnipotent deity would be so cruel as to allow Chase to be cut down. He was just a _kid_.

More importantly, Chase was _Douglas_' kid.

Exactly who had he pissed off to get his whole family killed?!

Chase wasn't dead.

Douglas _refused_ to believe it for the longest time - or was it seconds? It was hard to tell. He wanted to march up to the gates of the afterlife and _demand_ that his son be released. He wanted to howl his grief to the heavens, to anyone who would listen, or he felt like he would explode himself!

Oly tilted her head. "Master?"

"He's gone."

In the end, his voice was barely above a whisper, but it left him feeling hollow and hopeless all the same. Voicing it had made it reality.

Chase was gone. Douglas would never see him again.

In that moment, another realization seemed to sucker punch him in the stomach: This was familiar because he had seen it before.

The night Chase had snuck into bed with him - the night Douglas had had that nightmare - was when he had lived through this very moment before.

_Damn_ _it! _If he had tried just a little harder to remember his dream, then maybe he would have seen it coming and could have prevented it. He never would have left Chase and Oly in Røros. He would have arranged for both to travel with him.

Like he should have in the first place.

He wanted to strangle hindsight. And irony. The bastards never left him alone!

After a few more minutes of inaction, he finally stepped out of the Circle. With his foot, he began to erase the runes and the more elaborate lines of Chase's Circle.

"Who are you summoning?" Oly asked as, with trembling hands, Douglas began to draw new lines.

He erased a line he had made that was wavy and redrew it more carefully. "Ajiiyahn."

* * *

_"I come with a warning label. It's not my fault you can't read!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"I hate when people see me at the supermarket and they are like, 'What are you doing here?' And I'm just like, 'Oh, you know: Hunting elephants._"

**Unknown**

* * *

_**Chase**_

I couldn't speak for several moments. Couldn't make myself move, really. Leo and Adam were standing in the Circle across from mine, their expressions a mixture of joy and fear.

Guess my entrance scared them.

My first thought at this highly-unexpected development was thus: Douglas wouldn't be able to summon me. Whichever one had spoken the words hadn't messed up the part that held my will like a bear trap. That I was back home in the Lab registered with me secondly, but it didn't really sink in due to just how surreal the situation seemed. I could barely wrap my mind around this unexpected change of scene. I finally opened my mouth, but ended up closing it again.

When the hell did these two learn to summon? I was gone for a _week_.

It was Mr. Davenport who broke the silence by storming in through the tunnel. "Stupid elevator getting stuck for an _hour_. Adam, Leo: Did you do something to the -" His eyes landed on me, shutting him up abruptly as he froze mid-stride, which resulted in Bree - Yahn perched on her shoulders - running into Mr. Davenport's back. "_Chase?"_

Adam quickly threw some wires "discreetly" behind him. "We didn't do anything to the elevator," he lied poorly, looking like a deer in headlights. I forgot how flippin' _great_ his voice was.

He needed to speak more words. Seriously.

"Master's going to kill me," Yahn groaned, encasing himself in his wings. "Did they at least do it right?"

_You can escape!_

Oh yeah! I was finally snapped out of my semi-dazed state as I crossed my arms. "They said 'etorriko denari' instead of 'etortzen.'" I pointed at them. "You are _extremely_ lucky that I'm the one you got wrong. Anything else would be..." I searched for the words. "It would end in you two decorating the Lab with various body parts and internal organs," I finally finished.

_Not a bad idea._

"Right; _that's_ why I came down here!" Mr. Davenport suddenly exclaimed. "You two are _grounded_. _Forever_."

"But we brought Chase back," Leo protested, gesturing at me. "That's gotta count for something."

"Yeah; you're not grounded for _two_ forevers," Mr. Davenport huffed.

"I warned you!" Yahn withdrew his wings. "I told you that you weren't ready! What's next: An afrit?! It will tear this place up like that museum in Rome!"

"Wait!" I cried out suddenly, stopping the protests that were about to come from Leo and Adam. "What happened in Rome?"

"Something massive just tore the place up," he explained, snapping his beak shut loudly. "Whatever it was just brushed steel and cement walls out of the way like they were nothing." He sighed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a golem."

"Owen was telling me about that," Bree piped up. "Something about priceless art being ruined while the only thing stolen was some stupid wood staff in storage. Strange, right?"

"What's a golem?" Leo asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion.

"Giant clay model - usually human shaped - that was supposedly brought to life and controlled by an owner of some kind through magical means," I responded. I had started a search on everything while Bree was talking. Various bits of information ran behind my eyes. A link to footage of the attack caught my eye. "Here's a video," I said, touching my temple to project it in the air in front of me.

Whatever it was had a shroud of darkness totally surrounding it as it casually walked through the museum walls like they were nothing. It appeared to be searching for something, all right. After about thirty seconds, the video ended. As my projection vanished, Yahn shrugged. "Who knows what that was?"

"Why couldn't it be a golem?" I challenged.

"It's a lost art." Yahn crossed his arms. "I haven't seen a golem in over five hundred years. In fact, no one really knows how to create them anymore. I think there's a family in Spain that passed it down through the generations, but I don't know if there's anyone else who could create one." He was quiet for a second before jumping off of Bree's shoulders. "Master is summoning me."

"Tell Douglas everything you just told us," I said quickly as Yahn began to dissolve.

Yahn tilted his head. "Why?"

"Just do it!"

Yahn looked ready to say something else, but he was gone before he could.

Oh well. Hopefully Douglas connected some dots, too. It would be a pretty big coincidence for everything to just line up like that.

"Where did Yahn go?" Adam asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

"Back to Douglas," I explained casually.

Adam frowned. "He's coming back, right?" At everyone's silence, his face fell a bit. "Yahn's coming back. _Right?"_ Finally, I shook my head. Adam sighed heavily, visibly upset by this turn of events.

I wasn't a guy who enjoyed hugs, but I kind of wanted to give Adam one right then.

Obviously eager for a subject change, Mr. Davenport cleared his throat. "Well, in any case, I'm glad you're home, Chase."

I sighed. "Don't get me wrong: I'm happy to see you guys, too. But we were making serious headway on Krane, and this kind of threw a wrench into things."

"Wait; you guys are hunting Krane?" Bree blurted out. "You didn't leave just for the sake of leaving?"

"No," I answered quickly. Of course, I had to amend myself. "Well, he left because you were going to have him arrested. I did because you guys wanted to 'fix' me," I explained, drawing air quotations. "I don't need 'fixing.' Besides, it's easier to hunt someone when they don't know where you are." I paused before adding, "I _did_ say that I'd be back, didn't I? On that picture?"

You would think that I just revealed the answer of life to them by their expressions. They all nodded slowly.

"Then _why_ did you call me back?!"

Leo suddenly looked sheepish. He shuffled his feet, looking down at the floor. "We wanted you back here."

Adam finally found his voice. "I mean, if you're hunting Krane, then you should be as safe as possible. And when you're here, I can protect you."

Mr. Davenport looked ready to add something, but I spoke before he could. "Adam: You can't protect everyone from everything. Bad things are going to happen. We're going to get hurt. Things are going to go wrong sometimes. It's just life. It's not your job to worry about it constantly."

Adam still looked upset, but it was accented with thoughtfulness now. Wow; something got through to him.

"You can't protect everyone, either, Chase."

I shot Mr. Davenport a sideways look. "I'm not trying to."

"I beg to differ," Bree piped up. "I recall someone running away from home because he was trying to protect us from himself."

I instantly protested. "That was different."

"Was it?" Her eyes locked challengingly with mine, her arms crossed across her chest. After a second, I had to look down. She was right. Total case of "practice what you preach" right there.

"I know you just got back," Mr. Davenport began after an awkward moment, "and I'm glad to see you - really, I am - but I have to ask: Where's Douglas?"

I gave a snort of laughter. "Not happening. Sorry."

"Chase, we won't do anything to hurt him-"

No shit, genius. "I'm not an idiot," I huffed. "Of _course_ you won't hurt him. You'll have him _arrested_." I crossed my arms and pinned my ears. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to visit him in prison."

Leo sighed. "Why are you protecting that psycho? Just tell us where he is."

I gasped in shock. It felt like Oly had suddenly dug her claws into my shoulders and dragged them down my spine as I felt helplessly compelled to answer. "Not here," I hissed out between my teeth when the pain subsided because it was technically right. No wonder demons tended to resent their masters. That fucking _hurt_. But at least his order was extremely vague.

Leo looked horrified. "Sorry; I forgot about that will thing."

"What did you do?!" Bree was watching me like I'd drop dead or something.

"Leo gave an order. I had to do it. And it stung." I whimpered pitifully.

Hey: It was my first time feeling that. I was unprepared.

"Don't do that again," Mr. Davenport commanded instantly. Jesus; by his expression, you would think that he felt that pain, too.

"He could just escape," Adam pointed out. "Then he'd be free to do whatever. Didn't you mess up, Leo?"

I could escape, but...

"I was wondering why you hadn't gotten out yet," Leo mused.

"Because I don't know what will happen," I mumbled.

I had no idea. Would I go to the Otherworld? Or would I end up back where I was in Røros? Would I be transported to a random point on the planet, or would I even go anywhere at all? Having one foot in two realms was a confusing pain in the tail.

"Then find out," Adam insisted.

What a good idea! Adam was so smart! "Okay; just hold on."

Total silence fell over everyone as I flitted through the planes and turned a very slow, full circle in place, scrutinizing the net for that one little spot, that small chink in the armor. I finally found it above my head. It was very dull compared to the glowing barrier. With a sigh, I loosened into a puff of smoke and drifted through the hole, shrinking down to the width of a strand of yarn. I felt Leo's hold drop off immediately.

Yay, free will!

_Tear their throats out with your teeth!_

_How about no?_ I thought back as I fully escaped into the open and gathered into my lovely self about ten feet from the Circle.

Moment of truth.

What would happen next? It was like a game show, only the prize was wherever I was going to end up.

Which, as it turned out, was right where I had landed.

Well, then. At least I knew now that I wouldn't go anywhere when busting out of Circles.

"That was anti-climactic," Adam complained.

I shrugged - well, tried to - when Mr. Davenport actually hugged me. Tightly. Breathing became a struggle. "Chase, I'll lock you in a capsule if you ever try to run away again," he threatened.

Love you, too, Mr. Davenport.

There was a problem, though. As nice as it was to be home again - like how one would feel after a long vacation - Douglas was still hunting Krane in Madrid. With no one but two imps. And he had probably tried to summon me before he summoned Yahn, who would undoubtedly tell him where I was. How mad would Douglas be _then?_

So there I was, stranded halfway across the world and unable to continue our hunt until Douglas tried to summon me again in the hopes that Leo had released my will.

What a fucking beneficial development; am I right?

* * *

**So Chase is there to stay for now.**

**And if Leo and Adam hadn't summoned Chase, then Yahn wouldn't be returning to Douglas with potentially useful information, would he?**

**And poor Adam.**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. I'm fresh out of cares. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	11. Chapter 11 - Strike a Deal

**Today, I was walking towards the back room at work when my coworker gasped, "What's wrong?! You look almost happy for once! Did you finally decide who was first on your hit list?"**

**He knows me so well!**

**Also, random fact about Zara: I played the trumpet when I was in marching band. At a contest, my band got into the final round, where we placed 13th.**

**There were only 12 bands.**

**I shit you not. This actually happened.**

**So the next time you feel bad, remember: You'll never suck as much as Zara's marching band!**

**First, thank you for toning down your anger. Much nicer to read now. :3**

**Second, thank you, my quiet readers, my vocal reviewers, and my rabid fans who all need to hold still while I break out the swords of honor and prepare myself to fight my way through you all before inevitably perishing in a blaze of glory. You rock. :3**

**Moonlit: If it helps, Douglas is quite pissed.**

**DisneyXDGirl: Adam's still upset about it. :c Anyone have a spare hug?**

**TeenWolfFan102: *Gasp* A newcomer! Everyone stare awkwardly at them! O_o :P**

**DarkestKing: It's up to them. Demons are made of essence. To change, they loosen their essence into a little puffy oil-like cloud of demon before pulling themselves together as something else. They usually pull this off in a second or two, but sometimes they just want to float around as their essence-y self for a bit. It's chaotic when they do. They have no real control of movement when they are virtually formless, so they'll just kinda go wherever the wind takes them. There's a single form that they naturally revert to - Chase to his cat-eared self, Oly and Yahn to gargoyles, Ysthry to a small dragon; so on - but they can be basically anything. However, staying in a different form for too long starts to hurt. :3 Hope that helps.**

**The song "Shadowland" from The Lion King (Broadway) had quite a hand in inspiring Chase's part. :3**

**So let's do this! Leo?**

**"Zara does not own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Karma takes too long. I'd rather beat the shit out of you now!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"If you don't believe in coincidence, then you aren't paying attention."_

**David Life**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven - Strike a Deal**

**_Douglas_**

Leo.

The chronic thorn in his side.

The stubborn kink in his hose.

The perpetual pebble in his shoe.

Fucking _Leo_.

The little pest just _had_ to learn how to summon, didn't he?

It was always _something_ with that nuisance. If he wasn't getting between Marcus and the kids, he was either discovering lairs or breaking the Triton App's hold.

Or summoning Chase!

Douglas weighed the consequences of just killing Leo - the mental images were grisly, yet satisfying - but decided against it in the end. Chase wouldn't be likely to forgive him for something like that.

No; the runt had to be spared. How _unfair_.

Douglas didn't remember much from earlier. It was a blurred spin of events and emotions changing so rapidly that the order of events was lost entirely in its wake. The only things he really recalled were thinking Chase had died, summoning Yahn (who informed him of Chase's whereabouts), and waking up on the floor, staring straight up at the ceiling while Oly struggled to pull her tail out from under him because she hadn't gotten out of the way in time.

Apparently, he was so relieved that Chase was still breathing that he had passed out.

Not that he would ever admit it.

Now, though, he could think straight. He'd spent thirty minutes interrogating Yahn about exactly how Leo had managed to summon Chase - Yahn was _too_ helpful sometimes - and the next thirty thinking of ways to take Leo out just to amuse himself.

Oh, and he was pissed at Adam, too. But Douglas felt more pride that his son had managed some summoning than he did anger at him helping Leo kidnap Chase.

Adam summoning Chase? Awesome job! It was like a father-son hobby.

Leo summoning Chase? Douglas was about to cut a bitch.

Stupid little twerp.

At least they had messed up. Hopefully, Adam wouldn't screw up on anything else.

Hopefully, Leo messed up on an afrit and burst into flames!

Now, all that was left to do was to wait for Chase to escape his Circle and summon him back. A few hours should suffice.

The wait until then, though, was a pain in the ass. Douglas would glance at the clock, wait ten minutes, and look again just to find that only a minute had passed. After this went on for forever - ten actual minutes - Douglas sighed.

Distraction. He needed a distraction. His eyes landed on Yahn, who was trying to convince Oly to lose the rhinestones on her wings. Douglas wished she would; she looked ridiculous. Chase just _had_ to give her that idea. "Yahn," he said, causing both to go silent. "I'm betting you want to know why we're in Spain."

"Not really," Yahn answered. He raised his tail up a bit. "But Half-Breed told me to tell you about what happened in Rome."

Did someone say Rome? "What happened in Rome?"

"Some museum was destroyed," Yahn answered casually. "Oddly, the more expensive pieces were destroyed. Only a staff in storage was stolen."

"Like some ancient shepherd's staff or something?" Douglas asked with a snort, crossing his arms. "Who would want a piece of crap like that?"

"Mortals are crazy," Oly sniffed.

"Anyways," Yahn continued, "Chase was all excited about it. He thinks it was a golem. Basically jumped out of his skin when I told him that the only person who could _possibly_ make a golem in this day and age lives in Spain. Or, at least, the family has for generations. He - or she - might have moved by now."

How interesting! It was most likely just a coincidence, but Douglas felt the need to investigate it a bit.

Even if the chances of an active golem existing were virtually non-existent.

"This family," he began. "What was their surname?"

* * *

_"...One alone is not enough; you need both together..."_

**Mulan, "Lesson Number One"**

* * *

_"...And where the journey may lead me, let your prayers be my guide. I cannot stay here, my family, but I'll remember my pride..."_

**Heather Headley, Tsidii Le Loka & The Lion King Ensemble, "Shadowland"**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Striking a deal can be challenging sometimes.

However, I had a feeling that this particular one would be akin to wrestling a grizzly bear after you kicked her cub.

Or walking up to Hitler with a Jewish star pinned to my lapel.

Currently, I was sitting at the cyber desk with Bree, who kept checking the planes for no reason. It was nice that she liked the bead and all, but nothing changed in the past five minutes, Bree. Seriously. I would know; I had two more planes at my disposal.

As long as she was having fun, I supposed.

Across from us sat Adam, who was obviously sulking about Yahn. He reached for his shoulder occasionally, but ended up pausing and dropping his hand sadly about halfway there. It was upsetting to watch. I kind of wished I could get Yahn back here for him. Even if Douglas could send Yahn back, I doubted that anyone could convince him to actually do so this time.

Not when Yahn had a hand in getting me here.

A few moments of silence passed before the missing member of our impromptu meeting finally showed up. Leo walked into the Lab silently, taking a seat next to Adam.

I nodded at the tunnel entrance. "Mr. Davenport or Tasha coming?"

Leo shook his head. "Busy thinking up punishments for us."

I nodded again before I leaned forward in my chair. "Listen: We all know that Douglas is going to summon me back. Now, I don't want to be pulled back and forth between places. One of you could stop it by keeping my will permanently ensnared, but I'd rather it not come to that, either. So how do I keep you two -" here I pointed at Adam and Leo - "_out_ of my Circle?"

"Stick around," Leo answered bluntly.

"Or you could tell us where Douglas is," Bree suggested. "Then, he'd be here rather than wherever."

Almost forgot that she was on their side of that fence. Rolling my eyes, I snorted. "Yeah; here in _jail_. Close, but no cigar."

"Why would you want a cigar?" Adam asked.

I stared at him for a second before I sighed. "Listen: Krane's trying to kill us, and he's more than capable of making it happen. We know this. Douglas is tracking him. We know this, too. But we all saw what happened when we tried to take Krane on alone. Everyone almost died. When _Douglas_ showed up, though, we suddenly stood a chance.

"After that, Krane tried again with Joraed. You would all be dead if Douglas hadn't been there to give a Dismissal. And if it weren't for _us_ -" I made a sweeping gesture to indicate us all - "_he_ would be dead as well. Be it through Jasper, Krane himself or even trying to take on Joraed without bionic teens at his back, he would be _dead_. We need him, and he needs us. There's no way around it. And I'd rather be out there with him than sitting here and waiting for Krane's next attack. So, I repeat: What will it take to make this happen?"

The silence that greeted me was so thick with tension that my tail could have sliced it. Bree leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. Leo was showing reluctant acknowledgement of my logic. Adam had his brow furrowed, like he didn't know what to think at all.

So I waited.

It seemed like forever before Adam finally broke the silence. "Say we _did_ let you go and didn't summon you back," he began. "I kind of want to know what you're doing."

"And where you're doing it," Leo added.

I gave him a half-smile. "Find me, find Douglas. _That's_ a no-go. Nice try, though."

Leo sighed and crossed his arms.

Bree nudged me with her elbow. "What if I keep them from summoning you if you find some way to send us updates about how you are? There has to be some way to get a message to us discreetly."

"It's extremely hard," I informed her. "But not impossible. I could probably make it happen every two weeks or so." I shot Adam and Leo a pointed look. "Would that work?"

Leo shook his head.

I let out an exasperated hiss, pinning my ears. "What do you _want? _Do you want me to pole dance or something?!"

"Oh, god, no," Adam shut down immediately. All three looked disturbed now.

It was like they didn't appreciate my sexy physique.

"Then _what?_" I huffed.

Leo leaned forward. He looked like he was about to punch a wall. Or scream. However, his voice was quiet. "If you find Krane, you tell us where _he_ is before you do anything. Like you said; we need each other for this."

I hesitated before nodding slowly. "Only if you convince Mr. Davenport to call off the manhunt for Douglas."

"That's going to be _extremely_ hard to do," Bree pointed out.

"Make it happen," I insisted.

"_I'll_ do it," Adam agreed quietly.

"Then you two won't summon me again?" I asked.

Reluctantly, Leo and Adam shook their heads to agree.

"Thank you," I sighed. As an afterthought, I added, "Also: If you two are going to stay with summoning, then you'll want to find a Summoner to study under. It's clear that independent learning is going to get you killed."

Leo and Adam nodded at this.

"Wait," Bree protested. "Mr. Davenport _banned_ summoning." She rolled her eyes. "Does no one listen?"

"I'm sure he'd ban that bead, too," I countered, nodding at her wrist. "It might be an asset to have a couple of Summoners up your sleeve. I'd rather no one die in the process."

Reluctantly, Bree nodded.

I smiled and stood up. "Good. Now, I don't know about you, but I've been _dying_ to play some poker with you guys since I left the first time. Since I don't know when Douglas will summon me, I'm going to find Mr. Davenport and go a few rounds. Anyone else?"

Leo jumped up instantly. "You're all going down!" He charged out of the Lab, calling out, "I'll get the table set up!"

I gestured at Adam and Bree. "Scared?"

"Like hell I am," Bree huffed, standing up.

"I'm going to wipe the floor with you like I always do," Adam declared haughtily.

As it turned out, Adam was _scary_ good at poker. He usually won. However, I perked my ears, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of my mouth. "I've played a few hands with Douglas. Had to step up my game. I think you'll find yourself challenged this time."

* * *

**Can I just say that I adore Texas Hold 'Em?**

**It's the best game _ever_, next to Liar's Dice.**

**Anyways, enough about my various vices; that was chapter eleven.**

**I wonder just how good Chase's poker face is?**

**Either way, that's it for this chapter. :3**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	12. Chapter 12 - Poker Face

**Jesus, people! Calm down!**

**Chase, the general consensus is that you have to get rid of the pole. Sorry.**

**"But we just got it!"**

**It's gotta go, man. Maybe some firemen can use it?**

**"Hey! If he wants a pole, he can keep the pole!"**

**Douglas, this doesn't involve you!**

**"You wanna go?"**

**Okay, people. Douglas and I are going to fight, so Chase is going to handle this part.**

**"****_Finally!_**** Some ****_power! _****Okay…um…thanks to my fans. You guys rock! Except you stalkers outside my room. Please don't hurt me. I'm fragile!"**

**gg180000****: "Come on. I'm a sexy guy."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: ****"But…people, I have the body of a ****_god_****."**

**DisneyXDGirl****: "…I'm sensing a pattern here…Are you guys trying to tell me something?"**

**MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul****: "But ****_I_**** like Leo. Hmm…I'm sensing a restraining order from him coming your way…."**

**Darkestking****: "….God damn it! Zara, we have to get rid of the pole, don't we?"**

**…..**

**"Zara? You all right…? Huh, Douglas knocked her out. So…I guess I'm in charge of the next part. Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...You've got to know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em; know when to walk away; and know when to run..."_

**Kenny Rogers, "The Gambler"**

* * *

_"Take risks; if you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wise."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – Poker Face**

**_Leo_**

Playing poker with a Charmer had to suck.

Well, for Chase, anyways. For everyone else, it was fantastic.

For example, Chase was holding his cards, his expression the embodiment of poker face. However, Adam nodded towards Chase. "What do _you_ have?"

"Oh, a pair of aces!" Chase declared with a smile. Then, he frowned and sighed. "Who's folding?"

They all dropped their cards, eager to keep their chips. Leo only had a queen high, anyways.

Chase sighed again and lowered his ears. "This sucks."

"You'd be losing anyways," Bree teased.

Chase shot her a look as the cards were gathered and Adam shuffled them.

Tasha decided to have mercy on Chase's soul. "Adam, stop charming Chase. It's cheating."

"Fine," Adam grumbled as he dealt the cards out. Two for everyone. Then, he placed two face up on the table.

Leo was already excited by his hand - two kings. "I'm in," he declared, throwing some chips out in the middle of the table. The others matched the amount with their own chips, and another card joined the three in the middle. This was the pattern until five cards were showing on the table.

Personally, Leo was ecstatic. He had a pair of kings in his hands and a pair of threes on the table. Two pairs! Even _Adam_ couldn't beat him this time!

Chase let out an exasperated sigh. "Might as well lose big," he mumbled dejectedly. "All in."

As Chase shoved the entire amount of his chips forward - he had been on a losing streak, so he had fewer than everyone else - Leo almost laughed. "All right, then." He matched the amount - half of his chips - and pushed them forward. Judging by everyone else's expressions, they were agreeing with Leo as they pushed the required bet out onto the playing ground.

Tasha - who had decided to just watch and had taken a seat behind Chase - was smirking for some reason. However, she didn't say anything.

"For going out with a bang, this is weak, Chase," Adam commented. He winked casually.

What was he up to?

Chase raised an eyebrow. "You aren't allowed to talk anymore, remember?"

"He's right, though," Bree supported, a sly smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Want to raise the stakes?"

"How about this: If one of us wins, you tell us where Douglas is," Mr. Davenport offered.

Chase considered this for a moment. Leo honestly expected a refusal. That was a major bet for a card game.

Finally, Chase nodded. "But if I win, you stop the search for him."

Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"What? The odds are against me winning anyways," Chase pointed out, gesturing at everyone around the table. "And I feel like the equivalent of giving Douglas up would be you easing off."

Bree shrugged. "Seems fair to me. What are the odds of Chase winning, anyways? He's bad at poker."

"You should go for it," Adam encouraged.

Mr. Davenport chuckled and sat straighter, obviously feeling as if a challenge had been issued. "All right; you're on."

"Then we reveal on three," Bree began.

Leo wished it was one instead of three. He wanted to know where Douglas was, and he had a feeling that his two pairs would prove victorious.

"One...two..._three!"_

Everyone flipped their cards over.

Mr. Davenport and Adam had nothing but the single pair on the table. Bree showed two pairs as well. But Leo's eyes were stuck on Chase's cards.

A three and a six.

With the pair of threes on the table, Chase already had three of a kind. However, his six just _had_ to make a pair with a second six that was sitting proudly in the table's center.

Chase had a full house, threes on sixes.

They had lost.

Douglas had taught Chase one hell of a bluff!

A stunned silence fell over the table. Well, on everyone but Adam, who smiled at Chase. "I told you I'd get him to call the search off. I'll make sure he upholds the bet as long as you keep your end of the deal."

Chase nodded gratefully, a prideful grin on his face. "Thank you."

Leo stared at Adam, wide-eyed. Say what you wanted about the eldest bionic, but Adam knew _exactly_ how to get what he wanted. It was usually in a display of opportunistic cunning that he was gifted with occasionally.

Where did _that_ side of Adam hide on a day-to-day basis?

Mr. Davenport sighed between his teeth. "You trust Douglas?" When Chase nodded, he sighed again. "Then I'll make some calls. But I don't want to hear any news reports of some jewel heist or random terrorist attack by you two. Got it?"

"Understood," Chase answered immediately, visibly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "We'll behave."

"I mean it," Mr. Davenport growled firmly.

"Wait; you're just going to trust Douglas to behave now? Like he _isn't_ a known terrorist affiliate?" Tasha asked, frowning deeply.

Mr. Davenport shook his head. "Trust Douglas? Me? _Never_. I don't have to, though, because Chase trusts him." He nodded towards Chase. "And _I_ trust _Chase_."

What a complicated idea. It was hard to grasp, honestly. _I don't trust you. _He_ trusts you, and I trust _him_. That's good enough for me._

"Makes sense," Adam commented, nodding.

Maybe Leo was over-thinking it?

Tasha sighed and mumbled, "I guess that will have to work."

Bree cracked her knuckles. "Yeah, yeah; that's touching." She scooped up the cards on the table and shuffled them. "Anyone in for another hand?"

So the cards were dealt, bets were made, trash was talked. It was like the previous five minutes had been forgotten. Chase had returned to his losing streak - oddly enough, the world's smartest man couldn't play poker well - and Adam started wiping the table with everyone again. It was almost like old times for a while.

Until, in the middle of a hand, Chase blurred and faded away, undoubtedly summoned by Douglas.

Leo sighed. All the work that went into bringing Chase home was undone in the span of a few hours. Where was the justice?

"Where do you think he went?" Adam asked, peeking at Chase's cards.

"I don't know, but thank god!" Bree exclaimed as she leaned in to see the cards as well. "Lucky guy had a royal flush."

"Wait, didn't Chase shuffle?" Leo found himself asking.

Mr. Davenport nodded. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes widened. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "Everyone give me the cards. Chase rigged the deck."

"_How?_" Tasha asked incredulously. "We were watching him the whole time."

A half-smile graced Davenport's lips. "No matter how closely someone watched him, Douglas always managed to rig the deck, too."

* * *

_"It doesn't matter where you came from. It only matters where you're going."_

**Madea, ****_Madea's Family Reunion_**

* * *

_"I love family reunions. Maybe next year, we could pass out samurai swords."_

**Doug Solter**

* * *

**_Chase_**

"Took you long enough!"

Douglas rolled his eyes at my words before he released me from the Circle. "Would've been faster if your brothers hadn't meddled."

"Oh, so now they're _mine?" _ I countered, hopping out of the lines to land on the tiled kitchenette floor. Though the room he'd gotten was a bit larger than the one in Røros, it was still basically a square. More places to hide and think thoughts when I wanted to be left alone, though.

"Yep," Douglas responded. "When something goes wrong, they belong to their siblings. When something goes _right_, they belong to the parents." He shrugged. "Sorry; I don't make up the rules."

I was about to reply when Oly hopped onto the top of my head. "Half-Breed! I spent twenty minutes thinking you were dead! You could've sent a message or something."

"Yes; let me call a number I don't know," I muttered sarcastically.

Oly flicked my ear, causing me to hiss and growl. "Don't be a smartass!"

"Yeah; listen to your mother," Douglas mockingly ordered.

"Tasha's not here," I retorted.

Douglas seemed to sober up slightly at that. He didn't say anything about it, though. Instead, he stepped forward and hugged me. "We seriously thought you were dead. I'm glad you're not." He chuckled a bit. "Because who would I stand next to when I want to look better _then?_"

"Try a mirror, asshole," I huffed, pulling back and punching Douglas gently in the shoulder.

He rolled his shoulder a bit and let go of me, grinning. However, it faded into a frown. "Is _Leo_ going to summon you again?" he asked, his voice dripping with distaste at Leo's name.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do you two hate each other so much?"

He blew air out between his teeth in frustration. "You've _met_ him, right?"

I sighed. "He's not that bad once you get used to him."

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Anyways," I huffed a bit, "he won't be summoning me again. I had to pull a few strings, but I'm here to stay. Also, Adam's going to ensure that Mr. Davenport calls off the search for you. We're free to move for now."

"How did you swing that?" Douglas asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smirked. "Poker."

Douglas snorted with laughter. "Did you fix the game?"

"Right when you summoned me, I had," I informed him, crossing my arms. "Had a royal flush going."

"That's too much," he said, touching my shoulder. "Kid, rig it for a straight or something, but _never_ a royal flush. You're going to get caught doing that."

Made sense. I nodded after a second. "Got it."

"Hey, guess what?" Yahn called from across the room. "You're golem theory might be going somewhere."

"Really?" I perked my ears.

"Really," Douglas took over. "It turns out that the coordinates Krane had visited sits right in the middle of the neighborhood where the last known descendant of a Navarro family lives. It's a common last name here, but it just _happens_ to be the last name of the family that has been keeping the art of golem creation alive in Spain."

"And – even though it's probably nothing – it's worth checking out," Yahn finished.

"So tomorrow night, we're breaking into his house," Oly announced cheerfully.

"Feel like a little breaking and entering?" Douglas asked, grinning at me mischievously.

I smirked widely, fully aware that my fangs were showing. "Totally."

* * *

**What the…?**

**Oh. Right. Douglas happened.**

**Don't pick fights with Douglas. He fights dirty. Seriously.**

**Anyways, those mischievous bastards. :P **

**We're getting a bit closer to what Krane's planning this time. So maintain patience, or Chase will come and rig all of your poker games.**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. :3 I don't care.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	13. Chapter 13 - Author of Life

**Okay, people: Chase might be more mischievous, but his heart isn't really darker. He's been breaking and entering for years, along with Adam and Bree. What, did you think three vigilantes trespassing, stealing samples and hacking in the name of justice _aren't_ breaking the law?**

**Because they are.**

**Heroes can be criminals, too. Sad truth. Zara is here to ruin your dreams, people. :D**

**Oh, and Chase cheats because it doesn't bother him anymore. He was on his own for three months, remember? You either grow cold or die.**

**"While we're talking about Chase, may I ask why I'm tied to a tree?"**

**"I like my feathers. Sorry, Douglas."**

**See? Self-preservation at its finest!**

**Thanks to all my readers, my reviewers, my fiendish foes! I dost enjoy thy presence.**

**Moonlit: Douglas is awesome everywhere.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Ssh, it's okay. Just accept it."**

**DarkestKing: His heart still isn't dark. More like a nice gray. I love gray. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl: Chase only cheated once. The full house was all legal game play. Bluffs are common poker tactics.**

**So let's do this! Krane?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Theres an old town wrought with mystery of Tom the poet and his muse, and the magic lake which gave a life to the words the poet used..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "The Poet and The Muse"**

* * *

_"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."_

**Ralph Waldo Emerson**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - Author of Life**

_**Chase**_

Manuel Navarro: Possible golem maker.

Or not. That could go either way.

But that didn't stop Douglas and I from hiding in some bushes outside the man's home. And the longer I studied it, the more apprehensive I felt. I found myself wishing that Douglas _hadn't_ given Azazel's Bane to the Summoner's Council back in the United States. I had a feeling that we would need it.

It _might _have had something to do with the massive shield around Navarro's home - and the second, stronger shield that sat inside the first one - and the light that was on in an upstairs window, but I liked to think that I was some kind of psychic.

Oly wiggled into my lap, her head under my chin as she looked through the bushes at the shields. "Who else doesn't like this?"

Yahn frowned and adjusted his footing on Douglas' shoulder. "I don't. Those shields are extremely odd."

"No kidding," I muttered. The first one was fine. The _second _one, though...

It only appeared on the third plane. Any other plane, it was invisible.

I had _no idea _how it was possible.

"It would be nice if I could see what you were talking about," Douglas commented beside me.

Right; he couldn't see planes. Forgot that for a second. "Two stacked shields," I explained. "One only shows up on one plane." Numbers danced behind my eyes. "Around twenty feet in front of us."

"So don't move much," Yahn suggested. "We don't need you being cut in half."

The danger of magic shields. Fun, right? Going through them tended to result in the following side-effects: Cut in half, spontaneous combustion, electrocution; so on. It was why they were so effective. It wasn't like the shields were out in the street or on the sidewalk. They were fairly close to the house. It was a good way to keep intruders out.

Not so good for breaking in, though.

"Any way past them?" Douglas asked, squinting in a futile attempt to see the wards. "Everything has a weak spot."

"No shit," Oly snorted. She leapt from her hiding place and scurried towards the shields. "Come on, Half-Breed."

I scrambled after her. Hooray, shield-breaking. I'd been eager to try it ever since Oly showed me how back in Lovett's home. Hopefully, I wouldn't mess it up. Not that I thought something would go wrong if I did manage to fuck it up, but still. It was a pride thing.

"You handle the second one," Oly instructed me before she blew a thin tendril of smoke into a minuscule hole in the outer shield. It took a several minutes of struggling to get a Douglas-sized hole going, but she finally did it. While she shot back to get him, I entered the shield and walked the ten feet to the second one.

Okay; look for holes, look for holes, look for -

_Bingo!_

A small hole was near my knee. Smiling, I crouched down. It took a few tries to actually get a tendril of smoke to float into the hole, but I finally got it.

Time to expand it.

Imagining that I was holding the edges of my little smoky wisp, I pulled my hands apart.

It was like trying to pull a hundred-pound weight up an incline. So the progress was slow, but the shield was opening up. By the time I got it large enough for Douglas to pass through safely, I was shaking from the exhausting effort. Hey, I was at that for several minutes. Don't judge.

"It's about damn time," Oly muttered behind me.

"Half-Breed did just fine," Yahn defended, sticking his tongue out at Oly while Douglas carefully stepped through the smoke ring Oly had created. He could see the smoke; just not the shield. Useful, no?

I crossed my arms and stood up, my head held high. "Thank you, Yahn."

"If you're done basking in your own glory," Douglas said quietly, "we should move."

Oh, yeah; we were here for a _reason_. Almost forgot! "Right, mission; got it," I whispered, hopping casually through my smoke circle before crouching low to the ground, the tip of my tail twitching like I was a hunting cat. Douglas appeared beside me seconds later, close to the ground as well. Oly and Yahn weren't even bothering to play along with the adventure though. Yahn had leapt from Douglas' shoulder and was actually flying, peeking in the window. Oly was marching to the front door, acting as if she was just going to knock. I nudged Douglas with my elbow. "Think we should take a page out if their book and just knock?"

Douglas snorted. "I trust the Gods, but not _that _much. Let's see if they get shot _before_ we do anything."

"Good plan," I conceded. So we watched for a moment, holding our breaths. Oly started to sniff around the door while Yahn flitted to another window. When nothing happened after a moment, Douglas nodded. Nodding back, I snuck up to the door with him on my heels. Yahn landed on Douglas' shoulder casually while Oly turned herself into a small cloud of misty fog and vanished under the door. Seconds later, a lock clicked. The door swung open easily, revealing Oly in her normal gargoyle form. "Let's _go!_ You're moving like you have trains tied to your asses."

"Shut up," Douglas hissed, causing Oly to snap her beak together more loudly than necessary as a sullen protest. "You'll get us caught."

"Aren't we just going to confront the guy anyway?" Yahn inquired, his voice a whisper.

"It's called having the element of surprise," I mumbled. "Is this _really _your first interrogation?"

Yahn was about to answer, but Douglas held his beak shut with his hands. "Let's just do this already."

I gave him a thumbs up, and we all crept quietly towards the foot of the stairs. At the bottom, Douglas froze. He pointed at his eyes and then held up one finger and gestured broadly at the stairs.

I frowned. "What in the _hell_ are you _doing?"_

Douglas sighed. "No one understands hand signals anymore," he grumbled. "One of us should go first to see if he's alone."

"That was _total _nonsense," I pointed out.

He glared at me. "Thanks for volunteering, Chase."

Damn it.

"_Fine_," I huffed. Oly snickered in the background while I climbed the stairs, watching for any signs of life. Aside from the closed door with light under it, I saw no indication that Manuel had a friend. Couldn't smell anyone, either. I stopped at the top of the stairs and gestured for Oly, Douglas and Yahn to join me before I started towards the lit room, treading silently. I had my ears perked for sounds, but I just heard a scratching noise. No speaking, no background sounds, _nothing_. It was eerily quiet.

Kind of lonely, really.

Still, it helped support the theory that Navarro was by himself.

Well, excluding us.

I paused outside his door, one ear pressed up against it. I could still only hear that scratching until it suddenly stopped. "Dios, ¿por qué yo?" someone groaned weakly, sounding as if he was an inch from death.

_Easy prey._

I ignored my voice and almost broke cover to charged in there - who knew what was wrong? - but Douglas' hand landed on my shoulder gently. Oly popped up in front of me with a frown. "We going in or what?" she whispered.

"My God, is that you?" demanded the weak man in Spanish. "It is almost finished. I promise that it will be ready tomorrow."

"Good going, Oly," I growled as I stood up. No point in staying hidden _now_, was there?

"As good a way as any," Douglas sighed.

"You are not Victor." This time, the man - Manuel, I assume - was speaking English. Although he had an accent, he was pretty good. "Who are you?"

Douglas cracked his neck and opened the door, stepping into ab office area boldly with a demon on his shoulder and two on his heels. "Manuel Navarro?"

The frail, elderly man was sitting at a desk with actual quills - seriously, friggin' _quills _- an ink pot, and a scroll that was covered in runes and gave off a good feeling of power; not as much as Azazel's Bane, but enough for me to know that it wasn't some weak charm. Half of the runes were black, like the ink. The other half were a blood red.

In fact, the scent of blood was hanging in the air.

What the fuck?!

_I love the smell in here._

Apprehensive suspicion crossed the elderly man's face. "How do you know that? And how did you get in? You aren't even supposed to be here!"

"I get that a lot," Douglas responded casually, shrugging.

Navarro seemed ready to bite Douglas' head off - not that he would stand a chance in his obviously weakened state - but Yahn interrupted the entire situation for a special news bulletin on the scroll. "This is _definitely_ a scroll that activates golems." He pointed at the red. "Whose blood is this?"

Navarro sighed, seeming to deflate. "Mine."

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. "But there has to be _thousands _of letters there! No one can bleed that much!"

_Humans can if you bite their throats out._

"Everyone has enough blood for creating two golems in a short period of time," Navarro sighed again. "They used to be a _community_ effort. Everyone would give a little blood in order to protect their town with a golem. But not the fellow that wants this one. He already had me make one; why would he need another? That man does not care that these scrolls are going to bleed me dry. He only has to put his _initials _in the corner. That is _all _the blood he needs to sacrifice to control these things!" Navarro basically spat the last few sentences.

"Seriously?" I asked.

Oly nodded. "As long as your blood is on the paper, you can control the golem."

"You see, this scroll goes into the golem's mouth," Yahn explained. "It's like the blood breaths life into the inanimate clay. It's one of the few forms of magic that don't require demons."

"So he gets two golems and you just _die?". _I summed up, horrified as Navarro nodded.

_What a wonderful spell! _declared my voice.

"Wait," Douglas cut in. "I hate to interrupt this lesson in golem creation, but who is this guy? Wouldn't happen to be Victor Krane, would it?"

Navarro narrowed his eyes at Douglas. "How did you know that?"

"Because we need to _stop_ him," I answered. "We just don't know what he's planning yet. But it's going to be _evil_. I promise."

"With two golems? Mass destruction is the best bet," Oly muttered.

"I don't know," Navarro responded, ignoring Oly. "He never told me what he was doing. He only threatened my life to make me do this." He let out a wry chuckle. "It does not matter now; I am dying anyways."

Douglas frowned and started to respond when out of nowhere - _seriously _- Krane himself was suddenly in the middle of the room with us all.

Good thing he was just as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Because instead of killing each other instantly, we just kind of stared with open mouths. Unfortunately, Oly broke the tense stillness seconds later when she tugged on my tail. "Who the hell is _this _freak of nature?"

"_You_," Krane spat.

"Me," Douglas confirmed with a tight grin, spreading his arms wide and "discreetly" stepping between me and Krane. "See? Even _you_ are graced with my presence. What an _honor_ it must be."

Krane growled. I could see small tendrils of static gathering on the psycho's gloves. I swallowed hard and pinned my ears. He was _still _one terrifying motherfucker.

Navarro's eyes darted between us and Krane repeatedly before landing on the scroll. He picked it up and pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly. He didn't appear afraid. Just oddly at peace. "It is not quite ready, Victor," he said.

"Then _finish it,"_ Krane snapped. He then gave us a deranged smile. "I think killing you two will be a decent trade for having to wait."

"For what?" Yahn huffed. "What could you _possibly _do with two golems?"

"You won't be around to find out," he growled, raising his hands and preparing to strike.

"_And neither will you!" _Navarro suddenly cried.

Oly leapt onto my shoulder as he held up the scroll. "Half-Breed, do that forcefield thing!"

And the second I got it around the four of us was the second Navarro ripped the scroll in half.

And the world around us exploded into a blindingly white burst of energy.

Suddenly, I was aware that I was falling. Before I could get a visual on anything else, though, I landed on a very cold, unforgiving surface with a yelp of agony as severe pain lanced through my right wing and my head collided with whatever I had fallen on.

As everything faded to black, the thing I managed to notice was that my forcefield had vanished the second I hit the ground.

Hopefully no one was vaporized. That would just _suck_.

* * *

**So? What happens next?**

**You'll just have to wait and see.**

**Mua ha ha ha!**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. :3 I'm sure you know I don't care by now.**

**And enjoy!**

***Bows and exits***


	14. Chapter 14 - Prey

**Happy fucking Independence Day!**

**_USA, USA, USA_**

**Chase, help us out here!**

**"Yay! I'm going to light random shit on fire because '_Murica!"_**

**Wait-**

**Damn it! Someone go untie Douglas; we have to put out a few..._dozen _fires.**

**While we do that, here's a reminder: Don't be that idiot I make fun of for holding onto a lit firework and losing your fingers this year. There's always one. Always. Don't let it be you. Be careful.**

**Anyways, thanks to my readers, my vocal reviewers, and the people who have set up a flea market outside Chase's dressing room. Are ya'll seriously going to start a small town down there?!**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Can Krane die?"**

**DisneyXDGirl: "I was not too thrilled about being tied up."**

**While I have your attention, I want to say that I think "Dream On" (the cover by Avila, not the Aerosmith version) is kind of a good song for this story. Just sayin'.**

**So, who wants to find out what's going on? Miss Donna?**

**"Zara does not own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Nothing bad ever happens at school! Except for learning..."_

**Cosmo, _Fairly Odd Parents_**

* * *

_"A good friend would offer you an umbrella in the rain; a best friend would steal yours and yell, 'Run, bitch, run!'"_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen - Prey**

_**Adam**_

A light breeze played with the corners of his paper, causing Adam to smudge a line. With some muttering, he erased the mistake and blew the leftover shavings off of the page and into the grass that grew just beneath the bench with some flowers that were more comfortable growing in shade than in sunlight. Beside him, Leo had his tongue stuck sideways out of his mouth in concentration as he drew. Beyond Leo were two other teens - both blonde-haired girls adorning hipster glasses to avoid being mainstream - and a middle-aged man. All of them were drawing under the watchful eye of one Ms. Donna Copeland, who had decided to teach them all how to draw Circle patterns more quickly and with greater accuracy in the park across from her home.

_The park is an odd place for a Summoner lesson_, Adam mused. However, it was what helped he and Leo find her. Everyday for a year, they - Adam, Bree, Leo and Chase - used to pass by a small group that was drawing while walking home from school. Once, Chase had actually asked a kid - he couldn't have been older than eight - what they were drawing.

_Circles_, he had said. _We're drawing Circles_.

Of course, that meant nothing back then, but _now_ it made sense.

Adam examined his lines and sighed. They were waved and crooked on the paper. Where he usually drew with a ruler, Ms. Copeland wouldn't let them. So his Circles took a noticeably dangerous turn for the worse. Leo's were slightly better, but not by much.

Neither would be able to freehand a Circle for quite some time.

"Try drawing _faster_," Donna suggested suddenly from behind him.

Adam jumped a bit in surprise and turned to look at her. "What?"

"If you move your hand faster, it has less time to shake," Donna elaborated.

"Really?" It seemed like going slowly would be more effective.

"Just try it," she encouraged before she went over to the hipsters.

Adam frowned, but pressed the tip of his pencil to the paper. Usually, he would have spent the next five minutes slowly drawing. However, this time, he dragged it rapidly from one point to the other, the pencil leaving a smooth, _straight_ line. Its angle was off a bit, but it was significantly better.

Adam was pleasantly surprised. Maybe Miss Donna was on to something. He started drawing all of his lines like that. When he finally finished, his Circle sketch was _far _from perfect. However, it was better than expected.

Leo looked over at Adam's paper. "How did you manage _that?"_

"I drew faster," Adam said with a shrug.

"_Really?" _Leo frowned. "Are you sure?"

Adam nodded, prompting Leo to test it. He drew two dots and connected the two rapidly. He grinned widely when the line was straighter than his previous attempts. "Look at us; we're learning to summon!" He held his hand up.

"Yeah!" Adam cheered, high-fiving his younger brother excitedly. Chase was right when he said to study under someone. They were only an hour into the first lesson and were _already_ drawing Circles better. They had already done some summoning, but it never hurt to learn more.

Because Leo had done all the speaking in the Circles up until then.

Adam wanted to be able to summon on his own. It wasn't that he didn't like summoning with Leo - it was like a bonding activity - but if he could summon his own demons, then he could have several imp friends around all the time. They wouldn't replace Yahn, but it would help. Leo, sadly, just Dismissed the creatures. A few, he could understand; they were violent and hostile. Others, though, were nice like Yahn.

And _those_ were the ones Adam wanted around.

He just had to learn how to independently summon them first.

* * *

_"Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'_

_"'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him."_

**George R.R. Martin, _A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)_**

* * *

_"Sometimes even the flight of an angel hits turbulence."_

**Terri Guillemets**

* * *

_**Chase**_

My head was fucking _killing_ me.

It throbbed angrily as I slowly became aware of other sensations. For example: My right wing hurt, too. And my back.

My fucking _everywhere_ hurt, actually.

A weight on my chest - though rather light - did nothing to help.

My sensitive ears picked up the sound of dripping water and sparking wires next. I found my ears twitching involuntarily at the soft noises while I noticed that I could feel a light breeze on my skin. I could smell fresh air now, could actually _taste_ the outdoors.

Wait; that was blood. Only a little bit, but still present. So my mouth was bleeding. Wonderful.

All of this came together to form a question or two.

Where was I?

What the _fuck_ happened?

Was I even _alive _anymore?

_You are very much alive,_ answered the voice in my head.

That seemed like a fact worth knowing. Thank you, voice! _Holy hell-in-a-hand-basket; I feel like I was sucker-punched all over. What went down?_

_Navarro tore a golem scroll in half, releasing its magic,_ came the casual answer. _It was similar to splitting an atom without the widespread destruction._

My eyes flew open, taking in the night sky through a hole in both the ceiling and the second-story roof as it all came back to me in a wave. _Krane was here!_

_Yes_.

_He was so close!_

_Indeed_.

_And we did_ nothing. _Our asses were saved by an elderly man who died without hesitation in an attempt to take Krane down_, I lamented.

If a stranger could do that, then why the hell couldn't _I?_ I just stood there and _watched_ Krane. Hell, even Douglas was brave enough to fire off a couple of smart-assed remarks.

What the hell was _wrong_ with me? Hunters weren't afraid of their prey. _Prey _was afraid of the _hunter_.

_Then you are still prey, _my voice bluntly stated.

God _damn_ it!

Wow; Douglas must have been so ashamed of me.

Wait; _where was Douglas?!_

The weight on my chest shifted a bit, prompting me to raise my head. After the explosion of painful colors faded, I found myself looking at Oly. She was curled up on my chest, her yellow eyes watching me. "It's about time, Half-Breed," she grumbled.

A loud scrambling noise could be heard as debris was scattered and moved. Seconds later, Douglas appeared in my line of sight. Hallelujah! "Chasey? Are you all right?" He held his hand up in front of my eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"The letter 'c' isn't a number, asshole," I huffed, my voice sounding a bit rough and weak.

He gave a sigh of relief and dropped the hand he was signing with. "You're not an idiot! Fantastic!" He let out a "manly" giggle. "I thought we lost you for a few minutes there."

"Told you he didn't die," Oly mumbled.

"Get off of him," Douglas huffed. "You don't fall through a ceiling without being sore!"

Oly scurried off of me. "He fell through the _floor_," she muttered.

"Please don't start that debate," I begged as I started to sit up.

Douglas caught my shoulders and pushed me down again gently. "Hang on a minute, kid. Can you feel your toes?"

I wiggled them and nodded. Thankfully, my headache was starting to centralize around where I'd actually hit my head, so I wasn't getting dizzy when moving my head anymore. Yay, progress!

"Does your neck hurt?" Douglas asked, obviously entering medicine man mode.

"No shit," I muttered. "But I know that I didn't break my collarbone."

"Then get your bitch ass up, drama queen," Douglas teased, grinning and holding out his hand. "We have shit to do, and _you're_ just napping the night away."

I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up so I was sitting. "If it helps, I think I messed my wing up."

"I don't know the first thing about wings," Douglas responded. "I'm not a vet."

"I'm no expert," Oly began beside me, "but I think it's supposed to bend the _other _way."

Great. I broke it. How wonderful. "That's going to suck when it heals wrong," I noted with a wince.

"Nah," Oly cheerfully said. "Just shift your wings away and bring them back. Your bones will still be broken, but it will at least line up right. Then you could splint it."

I glanced at her. "Hey, Douglas? Hand your genius card over to her."

"Like hell," he muttered childishly while I forced my wings to vanish and reappear. It still hurt, but it felt better already.

Oly passed me two pieces of scrap wood. "Splint away, Half-Breed."

Oh, yes; allow me to splint an injury located _behind my back_. A minute in and she _already_ lost the genius card.

"I've got it," Douglas offered, taking the boards from me. He slipped his ripped-up hoodie off, leaving him in a shirt that revealed several scratches and bruises on his bare arms. It was still torn in places, but it had faired better. He ripped the ruined hoodie into strips as he moved behind me.

I turned one ear towards him and pointed one ear forward. "Where's Yahn? And Krane?"

"Metal Man?" Oly asked. "He did that disappearing thing as soon as Navarro tore the scroll. He probably thinks we died. Yahn is sniffing around the rest of the house. He says it's for clues, but we all know he's looking for anything valuable that he can keep."

Right; forgot that Yahn - though incredibly helpful - was still a mischief-inclined imp. Of _course_ he was looting. "So did we all fall through the floor when Navarro unleashed hell?"

"Kind of," Douglas answered behind me while he trapped my wing between the two boards and started to wrap it tightly. "I was close enough to the edge of the hole that I caught it and lowered myself to land more gently. It still hurt, and I'm scratched up, but that's it."

"And Yahn and I just started flying," Oly added proudly.

I nodded and rubbed the back of my head in an attempt to relieve my headache. I could feel dried blood matted up in my hair and sighed. "Krane messed up my hair."

"Was it really that great to begin with?" Douglas asked innocently behind me.

I threw my arm back to gently elbow him. "My hair looks just like yours!"

"But _I_ make it look better," Douglas replied smugly as I felt him tie a few tight knots in the cloth that held my wing in place.

I pinned my ears and growled lowly, but Yahn ended the conversation by dropping through the hole in the ceiling, clutching a book to his chest. He was so excited that his form was shimmering. "Master! I think the staff that was stolen in Rome was The Arm of Raziel!"

"What's The Arm of Raziel?" I asked with a frown.

"A weapon," Oly answered.

"And if Krane has it, we're more screwed than we were in the first place," Douglas solemnly stated. "Yahn, when we get back to the room, explain why you think he has it. Until then, though..." Douglas glanced out the window. "We need to leave. An explosion like that was bound to get _someone's _attention, and I'd rather _not _explain myself to la policía."

* * *

**The Arm of Raziel?! What kind of crap is that, Zara?**

**The _awesome _kind.**

**Adam just wants some imp friends! Or Yahn. Is that too much to ask?**

**I mean, just ask any demon; Adam's a charming fellow!**

**Huh? Anyone? No...? Okay**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**And enjoy!**

***Bows and exits***


	15. Chapter 15 - Façade

**Woo! Chapter Fifteen, all right!**

**Hopefully no one blew up. That would suck. Seriously.**

**Thanks to you, my readers, my reviewers, my petty souvenir thieves (can I please have my pen back?). You amuse me. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl: "At least no one kicked me out of a house at gunpoint this time, right?"**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "You and I? In sync."**

**So let's find out what's been going on. Miss Bree?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"I always liked the idea that America is a big façade. We are all insects crawling across on the shiny hood of a Cadillac. We're all looking at the wrapping. But we won't tear the wrapping to see what lies beneath."_

**Tom Waits**

* * *

_"If you look at the buildings, you'll find that one part looks as if it was designed by one man, and you go around and look at another façade, and it looks as if it was designed by another man, you see."_

**Minoru Yamasaki**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen - Façade**

**_Bree_**

A house exploded in Spain.

A random passerby managed to get a picture of the wreckage a moment or two after it happened. A large portion of one of the outer walls was missing. However - in spite of the obvious explosion that had occurred - there was no fire. No smoldering. No smoke. The rest of the house was untouched, as was the house next door.

The whole situation had the police baffled. They couldn't explain it away.

Mr. Davenport, however, seemed to have his own explanation. "New kind of energy bomb or something," he theorized. "It probably exploded on accident."

Bree, however, had a different idea.

Because in the wreckage sat a little object that looked suspiciously like a gargoyle. It was hard to see - she could only really see the outline - but it was present, nevertheless. She had a nagging feeling that Oly or Yahn was in that picture, obviously waiting for something.

So did that mean that Douglas and Chase had somehow been involved? Or even Krane, for that matter?

Until Chase contacted them, she couldn't be sure of anything.

Adam and Leo had little interest in the picture, instead choosing to focus on their summoning lessons. They had only been to a couple - Mr. Davenport and Tasha thought they were going to different places each time - but they were already studying with the intensity Chase used to for fun. It was strange for Adam to study at all, but whatever kept him from burning the house down was probably a good thing.

It made the house boring, though.

_This sucks,_ she thought irritably. There wasn't really anything to do but wait for a message from Chase. And there was no one around to do _that_ with. Her brothers were studying or M.I.A., Tasha was excitedly practicing her "anchor lady face" in the mirror for an important story - "_Birthday Blowout: Child's Party Ruined by Feinting Goats!" _- while Mr. Davenport _still_ searched obsessively for Douglas (even though he had called off the authorities). That left Bree with Eddy, who she _didn't _want to talk to.

She kind of missed Yahn. He would always pop up randomly and throw some curveball of information out there that kept her busy for at _least _an hour.

Bree let out a sigh and looked out the window at the barely-risen sun. Eight o'clock in the morning, and she was _already _bored. A few birds flew around the tree outside the window, prompting her to search the planes, the bead warming up and vibrating against her wrist. They were just birds, but it made her wonder just how many demons she passed on a daily basis.

She pushed herself to her feet, deciding that she might as well go for a jog and find out the answer.

Well, jogging to her would be like driving a race car to normal people. So she would essentially be performing a slow power walk to fit in. That, and everything seemed to blur when one ran at extreme speeds. It would make searching for demons rather complicated. So she left the house behind, appearing like a normal jogger.

She felt like she was dragging her ass, but whatever. She reached the middle of town soon enough - but not soon enough for _her_ taste - and slowed to a walk. Only a few people were out and about; some walking their dogs or window shopping, others on a morning jog, and others still rushing like wherever they were going would be gone if they didn't arrive _yesterday._

Deciding that it was as good a time as any, she checked the planes.

Even though human activity was sparse, demons were out in full force. Several birds were suddenly imps, flying this way and that on various errands. Demons much larger than that were following their masters like the obedient pets they pretended to be. An elderly woman passed close by, smiling at Bree while her poodle - actually, it was a minotaur-looking demon that stood around seven feet tall with small flames shooting out of its nostrils anytime it breathed - following closely behind. Bree backed up a few steps, prompting the creature to look at her before deciding that she was harmless and ignoring her completely.

Across the street, some of the window shoppers weren't human at all. A yellow lizard-man thing and what appeared to be a _very_ overgrown spider were staring into a store in what was probably an attempt at spying.

An imp scurried into her line of sight, paused to scratch its tail, and continued on its way.

Bree was stunned. She had expected _some_ demons, of course, but not so many. And they were all discreet, too. People passed by them without ever knowing that the stray cat they had avoided was actually a demon with rows and rows of dangerously sharp teeth.

Bree stood on the sidewalk, overwhelmed. Her entire life, she had been surrounded by these entities and had never once known about it. The well-crafted façade that protected these demons and their masters was, for her, shattered.

There was no getting it back, either.

In a way, it was oddly comforting to see the town as it truly was: Crawling with demons. They had always been there. And never once had one hurt her in her blissfully ignorant state.

Maybe demons weren't all that bad? Maybe they just hated to be dragged from their world into the human one, and it made them act out.

Rather like Spike?

Or did they enjoy mischief like a common child does? _Chase_ sure did. But he did before, too.

So maybe demons were in that little gray area between black and white, good and evil.

One thing was certain: Bree would never again view the world like she had when she was blind to the planes. It would be impossible for her _not_ to wonder what was real and what was simply a disguise.

Her phone buzzing noisily in her pocket pulled her out of her thoughts and back to reality, where she lost sight of the planes. With everything normal again, she sighed - demons added so much _variety _- and pulled the phone from her pocket. She was a bit shocked to find that it was now ten o'clock - she had unknowingly spent _two hours _staring at the demons - but opened the text message that announced itself on the screen. Noting that it was from Leo, she scanned its contents.

Suddenly, she had to fight extremely hard to stop herself from running home at top speed. She waited until she was sure no one was watching before she sped home, reaching the front door in seconds. She burst excitedly into the living room, her treasured phone falling from her fingers to land on the couch with Leo's message still on the screen as she ran to the Lab.

_Bree, come home! Chase sent a message!_

* * *

_"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that __something else is more important than fear."_

**Ambrose Redmoon**

* * *

_"If a grasshopper tries to fight a lawnmower, one may admire his courage, but not his judgement."_

**Robert A. Heinlein, _Farnham's Freehold_**

* * *

_**Chase**_

I'm not prone to moping around, all quiet and obviously upset about something.

Really, I'm not.

And when I feel like I want to act like that, I viciously suppress it.

Which is why I was a bit surprised when Douglas asked, "All right; what's wrong with you?"

I had been practicing my trashcan dunking skills with balls of paper when he asked. I was so taken aback that I missed totally, accidentally hitting Oly in the eye with the little ball. While she muttered indecencies and Yahn snickered, I glanced at Douglas. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because you _never _throw away rejected ideas," he stated, laying down the pencil he had been writing with. "You just try to modify them, get pissed when it doesn't work, shred them and throw them in the air like confetti in a salute to failure." Damn, he knew me well. He crossed his arms and rested them on the table while leaning forward. "Hence, why I think something's wrong." Although about twenty feet separated us - he was at the table, surrounded by crumpled up papers that had his rejected ideas about Krane's possible next move and how to stop it while I was standing at the foot of the bed - I could still see the mild curiosity and concern in his eyes.

"I'm _fine,"_ I insisted. I had told my family that about an hour ago; I had told _myself_ that constantly in the almost two days since we saw Krane. Now, it was Douglas' turn to hear it.

Douglas just raised his eyebrow and said nothing. I started to fidget. "I'm serious," I hissed, pinning my ears at how much confidence my voice suddenly lost. Couldn't he look somewhere, _anywhere_ else? Did he _have_ to stare into my soul?! It was unnerving. I braced myself to tell him to fuck off, but instead of loud defiance, my voice sounded pitifully small. "I'm scared."

"Did Half-Breed see a little spider?" Oly mocked before she laughed.

"Oly, go spend the night in the bathtub again," Douglas sighed.

Oly stopped laughing. "This is fucking _bullshit_..." she muttered as she marched to the bathroom.

"Scared of what?" Yahn asked, tilting his head.

"I'm going to go ahead and guess that it's the whole situation with Krane and golems and The Arm of Raziel rumor," Douglas responded. He glanced at me. "Am I in the ballpark?"

"What if he _does _have The Arm of Raziel?" I blurted out. Yahn's lead wasn't solid - just an old book that stated that The Arm of Raziel was kept in Italy in a museum until people got tired of seeing some mythical stick that was probably useless.

So it was put in storage years ago.

And while that struck me as odd, it didn't really prove anything. It put the staff in Italy, not Rome. And _definitely_ not in Krane's hands for certain.

"Then we kick him between the legs, snatch it while he's down and run like hell!" Oly called from the bathroom.

"There's your answer," Douglas responded, returning his attention to the paper in front of him.

"It's just...What would he _need_ with it?" I went on. I began to pace, my tail twitching. "He's already stupidly powerful. Why in the _hell_ would he need an insanely powerful staff, too?"

"Don't worry about why," Yahn suggested. "Worry about how you're going to win."

"_Win?!" _I huffed out before I could stop myself. "We can't _win!_ Nobody can win! If he has The Arm of Raziel and a golem _on top_ of his bionics, then that's it!" I gestured broadly. "Just _game over,_ people! He's a titan, and we're just down here throwing leaves at him! It's _hopeless!_" I lowered my voice and threw my hands up in defeat. "We can't beat someone we're afraid of. And don't say you aren't, because I _know_ you three are. How are we supposed to hunt him down when we're frightened like prey?"

Both Douglas and Yahn were staring at me, completely caught off guard by my rant. The room was silent for several long moments before Yahn spoke. "Half-Breed, have you ever seen lions hunt wildebeests?"

Confused, I nodded.

_Survival of the fittest at its finest! _My voice declared. _Isn't it nice how the stronger wildebeests force the old and weak ones out for the lions to catch?_

"Then you know that even lions are weary of their prey's horns," Yahn finished.

I closed my eyes and thought about that. I recalled seeing dozens of documentaries in which lions stood back from the wildebeest's horns, fully respecting the damage the herbivore could do.

"You'd be _stupid_ not to be scared," Douglas said after a minute. "There's _nothing_ wrong with it. Krane's a frightening guy. He _deserves_ our fear. He completely earned it. But _he_ isn't afraid of _us_, and _that _is a mistake on his part." Douglas pointed at me with his pencil. "He thinks that we can't _possibly_ beat him. So I'm guessing that his next move will be an overconfident display of his power...and, inadvertently, his _weaknesses_." Douglas shot a smile at me. "Whether he attacks us or our family is still a toss up, but he'll come. I promise. And he'll mess up, too."

"How do you know that we'll survive to exploit said weaknesses?" I asked quietly.

"Because he's a grasshopper and - when we fight together - we're a _lawnmower_," Douglas answered simply. "He just doesn't know it yet."

* * *

**There we go! Chapter fifteen!**

**See? The grasshopper quote was for a reason!**

**And who doesn't see Krane and just want to curl up in a fetal position in the corner?**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. :3 Don't care.**

**And, as always, enjoy!**

***Bows and exits_*_**


	16. Chapter 16 - Patrol

**Chapter Sixteen! We're going places!**

**Sadly, it's mainly filler, but here it is anyways.**

**Thanks to my silent readers, my loud reviewers, and the less-than-benevolent crowd standing outside Chase's room. He hasn't been out in days. It's hilarious. xD**

**Moonlit****: I'm pretty sure that most everybody wants Krane's head on a platter.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** At least you missed the over-zealous Leo hating campaign. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl****: "Hey, I checked that demon-Eddy theory for you. He's just a computer, I'm afraid."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport****: "Please don't high-five your screen. People will stare at you. I high-five you in spirit, though."**

**So let's do this! Bree?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or Anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_ "All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret."_

**Gabriel Garcí a Márquez****_, Gabriel García Márquez: a Life_**

* * *

_"Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever."_

**François La Rochefoucauld**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen - Patrol**

**_Leo_**

"You're not going to find him."

Despite Leo's words, Mr. Davenport continued his furious typing, a pen held between his teeth for no real reason. "I'm going to trace this," he managed around the small object, a deranged light flashing in his eyes. "You watch me, nay-sayer!"

Bree rolled her eyes. "Chase probably got Douglas to help do whatever it is that makes these things untraceable. Remember? He hacked all of your accounts and vanished without a trace. I'm fairly certain that you're not getting in."

"How _would_ you make something untraceable?" Adam asked, looking up from the little sketchbook that he had taken to carrying around.

"Re-route it through dozens of servers," Leo mumbled absently as he turned the page in the book he was _trying_ to read. _Demons and Summoning: The Conjurer's Guide._ It was hidden behind a magazine of Bree's and was _incredibly boring_. Seriously; it was like reading a dictionary about Circles and demonic power ranks. How anyone could do it was beyond him. However, it was a valuable resource - a wealth of knowledge, as Ms. Copeland had put it - and Leo felt the need to know everything it contained.

If only to save himself from messing up again.

"Granted, it's going to be hard," Mr. Davenport admitted. "But I'm just so _great!"_

"I'm out," Adam suddenly declared, closing his little book and standing up. "There's only so much Davenport that I can handle in one day." With that - and everyone staring at him - he walked out of the Lab.

"Douglas is a better programmer..." Leo tried again.

"Douglas wishes he was _half_ the programmer I am!" Mr. Davenport huffed, returning his attention to the message from Chase.

It had been very simple, really.

_ We found Krane. Well, he found us, actually. But he vanished again. We're fine. Don't worry; we only terrorized a couple of government buildings. We're going to follow another lead and plot our next move, so I don't know when I can contact you again. So be patient!_

_Love you guys! And Douglas says, "Hi."_

_Chase_

_P.S. I inadvertently faked my first death! _

After Mr. Davenport spent thirty minutes making sure that Chase was only kidding about terrorizing government buildings, he started attempting to trace the message. It was likely pointless, but he was going to try until his fingers bleed. Furiously attempting to find Douglas by out-hacking the guy was going to drive Mr. Davenport – and, by proxy, _everyone else –_ crazy.

After a few more minutes of vicious typing, Leo finally closed his book and slid it into his desk discreetly and put the magazine down with a sigh. "Big D., do you want some help?"

"No," Mr. Davenport huffed. "I'm going to get it."

"Why can't you just track _Krane?"_ Leo suggested, rolling his eyes.

Bree leaned forward in her chair. "That's a really good idea. Aren't they going after Krane anyways? Find him, and you'll find the lead they're following."

Mr. Davenport paused for a long moment, his mouth half-open so that the pen he had held between his teeth clattered to the floor. Finally, he closed the program he was working on and opened another.

Leo frowned at the strings of coding that hovered over the cyber desk now, suspended in midair as a hologram. "What's that?"

"This is the coding that Eddy picked up on Krane's chip when he was in the house," Mr. Davenport explained, starting to type something. The code began to narrow down. "I just have to narrow it down to his GPS, and we'll be able to track him."

Eddy showed up on the screen. "Don't bother. There's a block on his GPS signal that even _you_ can't crack. I've already tried it."

"I've got this, Eddy," Mr. Davenport growled.

"If it's eating a dozen cookies all at once, then _sure_," Eddy responded.

Leo snickered while Bree tried to suppress a grin. Mr. Davenport glared at Eddy for a moment before he started typing again. "If Douglas and Chase can break this code, then so can I."

Bree snorted. "If you say so."

Leo shrugged and stood up. "Need some help?"

Mr. Davenport glanced at Leo. "When I need someone to get caramel all over my keyboard, I'll let you know." Without another word, he started working again.

"Okay," Leo said, throwing his hands up defensively. "If you need me, I'll be upstairs." He needed to practice the vocabulary for summoning, anyways. Ms. Donna wanted them to correctly write a summons for an imp. And looking it up on the internet wouldn't suffice this time. No, they had to do it with nothing but knowledge of summoning language and the order in which one should recite them.

Learning to summon was _hard._

But, in the end, it would be worth it.

* * *

_"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."_

**Desmond Tutu**

* * *

_"Demons are like obedient dogs; they come when they are called."_

**Remy de Gourmont**

* * *

**_Chase_**

We weren't quite in Rome, but we did set up shop in Marino, Italy.

It was all right, I guessed. It wasn't Rome, but it was close.

And _why _were we in Marino?

Because we _could _be. Duh!

But mostly because the random trail of destruction by Krane's golem was making its way through museums.

And the closest museum to the last place hit was located in Marino.

It seemed that Krane _hadn't_ found The Arm of Raziel back in Rome; just some piece of crap staff. Lucky us!

Also, the Council decided to contact Douglas at this point. They weren't sold on the golem theory, but they _were_ determined to figure out just exactly what the hell was going on. I wasn't exactly pleased with their action plan, though.

"Hey, let's solve problems by throwing as many demons as possible at it!"

That was pretty much the crux of their plan: Get a dozen Summoners in one place, have them summon several demons, and send them on patrol to take the damn thing out.

"This is a dumb idea," Oly complained, sitting on my lap. She had her elbow resting on her knee and her head on her palm, her tail flicking impatiently. "What are _you _supposed to be able to do about golems? Master should be taking _all three of us._"

"They only want one demon per Summoner," I explained for the tenth time, rolling my eyes. "Something about overcrowding the area."

Yahn sighed, balancing on my shoulder. "Oly, you know that the Council loves their stupid rules. If they can put a limit on something, they're going to do it."

"No kidding," Oly muttered. She huffed a bit. "Still, you have a broken wing. What the hell could _you_ accomplish, Half-Breed? We've been at this longer." She gestured between Yahn and herself. "You've never even _seen_ a golem. Do you even know how to stop one?"

"I…well…." I pinned my ears and sighed. "No."

"Just take the scroll out of its mouth," Yahn explained. "Easy, right?"

"Totally," I responded.

"Fine," Oly huffed. "Just don't fuck up. I still think Master should take Yahn. Or _me."_

Yahn snapped his beak together loudly. "Half-Breed is stronger than us. You know the Council wants shows of power when they're trying to solve their problems."

I flicked my ears. "I wish Douglas would just summon me already, though. I'm bored off my ass here."

"It's going to take a while," Oly muttered. "They have to have some stupid meeting about it before they actually summon anybody. It could take hours."

"Why couldn't I go with him, then?" I huffed.

"They don't want demons at the meeting," Yahn snorted. "It's all a game they play."

"I wish they'd hurry up already," I growled. The sun was almost gone in the west. "I want to kick this golem's ass."

"Oh, while you're there, can you do me a favor?" Yahn asked. When I nodded, he said, "If someone summons a djinni named Janvyre, can you tell her that Yahn says, 'hello?'"

"Sure," I told him.

"And don't get squished," Oly mumbled.

"Got it," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

"And don't forget to hunt for The Arm of Raziel while you're there," Yahn added. "You know: Just in case."

I gave him a thumbs up. I would've answered him, but Douglas _finally _got around to summoning me. About damn time.

* * *

_"There are moments when even to the sober eye of reason, the world of our sad humanity may assume the semblance of Hell. "_

**Edgar Allan Poe**

* * *

_"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."_

** Abraham Lincoln**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

He had forgotten how annoying the Council was. All the rules and regulations slowed progress in everything. They spent so much time discussing rules and regulations – and ways around them – that Douglas usually practiced his Summoning alone. Seriously, they had discussed tactics for _four hours._ And the ultimate decision was that they should order the demons to wing it.

Douglas hated it already. He wanted to kick every member of the Council in the crotch. _Twice._ But it was all right now. Because Summoning was his thing. He didn't need to sit through bureaucratic bullshit to do it. He could just call Chase, and they could patrol for one night to appease the Council members before returning to their own goal: Going after the person _behind_ the golem rather than the golem itself. But he had to please the Council first. After the explosion of magic energy back in Spain, they were watching Douglas fairly closely.

The one bomb he _didn't_ set is the one that got him in trouble. Go figure.

Then again, they were never fond of the Council members that were more prone to freelancing than the others.

It was all right, though. Because Chase might enjoy meeting some other demonic beings. Douglas stood in Chase's Circle, watching as his youngest son appeared as an amorphous blob of darkness before pulling into his usual form, little icicles forming around the Summoning Circle. Chase spent a few seconds examining the barrier that held him just for the hell of it. It was kind of a thing of his. Summon Chase, and he'd spend a bit checking for flaws. Upon noting the perfection that was a summons from Douglas, Chase sat on the floor, his tail wrapped around himself. He looked around at the room they were in, his eyes lingering over the dozen or so other Summoners that were lined up, calling their own demons. A few imps were arriving in the Circles nearby while djinnis showed up in others, often with smoke or small fires appearing for a few seconds. Chase had his ears perked at the Summoning Circles around him, watching all the other demons curiously.

Except one that showed up in the Circle beside him. Chase jumped to his feet and pinned his ears instantly, baring his teeth and letting out a hiss when it noticed him. Even the fur on his tail standing on end as he thrashed it. The other demon – a red lion thing that had large spikes in various locations named Ferran – responded with a low growl of his own.

Instant hatred. It was interesting to see. He would have to study it a bit more later.

Douglas watched this for a moment with a slight smile. Making instinctual enemies: Chase was growing up so fast! However, it was time to focus. "Let me get you out of there." One of Chase's ears swiveled towards Douglas as he released Chase's will. Then, as he began to drop the barrier to release Chase, the Council member closest to the wall began to summon an afrit.

From memory.

Fucking show off.

Chase glared at Ferran for a second before he stepped from his Circle and stalked behind Douglas, still watching Ferran wearily. "I don't like that guy," he growled.

Douglas chuckled, looking over his shoulder at Chase. "Why not?"

Chase growled lowly. "You can't feel that vibe he gives off? _Jasper_ would hate this guy!"

"Jasper hated everybody," Douglas pointed out.

"Still, though," Chase insisted.

Douglas sighed a bit. "Don't worry about it. You'll be too busy patrolling for the golem."

Chase watched Ferran for a bit more before he nodded.

As other demons began to make their way out of their Circles, every last one of them suddenly froze and stared at the Council member who was calling the afrit. Even Chase was watching the man, his eyes wide and his breath held. Douglas frowned as total silence fell over the room. He nudged Chase with his elbow gently. "What's happening?" he whispered, slightly afraid of breaking the silence.

"It's…he…." Chase tried, but the candles around the entire room went out, snuffed by a strong breeze. The Councilor fell silent as the afrit he summoned showed itself as a cloud of smoke. For several moments, it floated around, poking at the edge of the Circle without bothering to converge into its true form.

It was when the afrit shrunk down to the thickness of a piece of yarn and actually slipped out of the bounds of its Circle that Douglas realized what had happened. Before the Summoner could even scream, the afrit engulfed him in a shroud of thick smoke before it dissipated back to the Otherworld, leaving nothing but a bloody smear on the tiled floor where the Council member had been standing.

The demons started murmuring amongst themselves.

"Did you _see_ that?"

"He said 'borondatea ' before 'estekatu'!"

"We should all be so lucky."

Chase, however, was totally silent. Douglas nudged him. "Are you all right?" Chase was still staring at the bloodstain on the floor, his eyes wide as he started to shake.

Oh, hell. Douglas took Chase by the shoulders and steered him towards the entrance rapidly. "Breathe, kid." He pushed open the door and pulled Chase out into the cool nighttime air. "Sit," Douglas ordered, gently pushing on Chase's shoulders until he sat on curb. Douglas sat beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. Chase ran a shaky hand through his hair and swallowed hard.

Leave it to Donnie not to prepare Chase to see someone die.

* * *

**Dear god, someone got eaten!**

**Oh well. I'm sure that Councilor was a douche. I tend to kill those off. :3**

**Anyways, I wonder what they'll find on patrol.**

**And why Chase and Ferran hate each other. :O What's that about?**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Me? Not caring. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	17. Chapter 17 - Got'cha

**So I was watching "American Dad-" it's akin to "South Park" and "Family Guy," so I would recommend watching it if you're sensitive...or your parents say no - and one of the characters - an alien named Roger - mugged another character. When he ran off, the victim blew a rape whistle, but the alien came back and yelled, "Is that the 'come back and kick me whistle?!'" Then, he kicked the guy and stole the whistle.**

**It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen, since Roger stole the money that he had just given the victim for cleaning a room...and he was mugged in the hallway...of the house they _both _lived in.**

**I'm quite twisted.**

**Anyways, thanks to me reviewers, my silent readers, and my brutal fans. Just jesus!**

**Moonlit: I've read the first book. Not the others. Don't remember golems in there. Unintended similarities. If it helps, golems are a common mythical creature.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Yay!"**

**DisneyXDGirl: "I'm sure, I'm afraid."**

**RissA15: I don't recall anyone but Davenport and Leo seeing the hologram of them dying, but I may be wrong. The afrit was just an afrit. As for Ferran, it's explained a bit here. If it's still confusing, Oly and Yahn will explain it later. He might be back later. We'll see.**

**Now, let's do this! Chase?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"When good people in any country cease their vigilance and struggle, then evil men prevail."_

**Pearl S. Buck**

* * *

_"Courage is grace under pressure."_

**Ernest Hemingway**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen - Got'cha!**

**_Chase_**

I know what you're thinking: Chase, you saw Leo, Marcus, Lovett, Jasper and Navarro die. Why in the hell is it bothering you _now?_

Leo _didn't _die.

I didn't really get a good look at Marcus' demise. Too much debris.

I was too busy fighting Jasper to see anything but the aftermath of Lovett's death.

Jasper can kiss my tail. Besides, it was me or him. Do the math.

And I was launched through a floor by Navarro's suicide method, so I _still _didn't see it.

The Summoner was the first time I had ever seen someone violently _murdered_ so clearly. It was his own fault; the dumbass shouldn't have tried to show up. _Him _dying was disturbing, but not unexpected. I doubted that I would sleep well over the next few nights.

No, it was the bloodstain and manner in which he died that got to me.

That could've been Adam. Or Leo. If I hadn't been the one they messed up on, it _would _have been.

Hopefully, my impulsive brethren found a teacher. I didn't want to contact them again just to find that they had become twin skid marks inside a Summoning Circle. I mean, Douglas ran the risk of dying, too, but he was always _careful_. I really had no need to worry about him.

Speaking of Douglas, he was sitting on the curb beside me, an arm around my shoulders. His idea to take me outside? _Golden_. The cool night air was very calming. As for himself, he was being quiet, likely just letting me work through what he must have thought was the shock of seeing someone being eaten.

_I bet he was tasty_, my voice commented. _All the crunchy bones and tasty blood. That demon was one lucky bastard_. You _could have eaten somebody, you know._

_I would_ never _eat Adam or Leo,_ I responded forcefully, pinning my ears as I let out an audible hiss.

Douglas shifted beside me. "You all right?"

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah."

"Want to talk about it, Mr. Pissy Ears?" he asked, rubbing the base of one of my still-pinned ears.

I gently swatted his hand away and rubbed where he touched. "I'm good," I answered. "Right now, I just want to do this stupid patrol and kill this golem so we can get on with our lives." Honestly, Douglas probably wouldn't be all that sympathetic. He hated Leo, anyways.

"You sure, Chasey?" he pressed.

I sighed. "I'm sure."

"Then come on," he said, standing up. "Let's kick go golem ass."

I jumped up, my tail flicking. "Just hopefully not with that one guy," I huffed as we walked back into the building.

"Ferran?" Douglas asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"No idea," I answered. "I kind of just want to throw him across the room and kick him repeatedly."

Douglas raised an eyebrow as we opened the door. "Why?"

"Because _I'm _in charge, damn it!" I bared my teeth. "For some reason, I feel like _he_ needs a beating so that he knows it!"

Douglas started laughing. "So you want a pissing contest with Ferran?"

"It's not _funny,"_ I huffed as we re-entered the room. Demons were standing by their masters' sides. Ferran was nearby, glaring at me as Douglas and I passed by. I growled, but Douglas pulled me away from him before we could jump down each other's throats. Little punk, stepping all over my turf like he owned the place.

_Ferran is nothing! _my voice huffed. _He is weak!_

Honestly, I didn't know which one of us was stronger. It was strange. Usually I knew instantly where I stood compared to others. But not with this guy. And I felt like it warranted an ass kicking just so he knew that the strongest one was _me_.

Apparently, Douglas found it funny. Didn't know what his deal was.

Luckily, though, I was assigned to the park by the museum with an imp named Orvyn. I was trotting around the park as a cat, carefully examining everything I could see. There was nothing around - and I imagined that a golem would be easy to see - but Orvyn and I still stuck together. It had to look strange - a black cat and a golden lab puppy walking around the park - but we didn't worry about it. In fact, it was pretty boring. The only thing going on was a thunderstorm that was starting to roll in. We only really had the lightning and thunder so far, but it was on the way. Douglas was on the other side of the park with Orvyn's Master, so we were alone. Why the demons didn't stay with their respective Summoners, I had no idea. I was starting to see why Douglas didn't really spend time with the Summoner's Council. Their rules and planning skills sucked.

For the record, Orvyn was an excellent patrol partner. He was quiet, did his job, and didn't bother me much. It was nice.

Orvyn nudged me as we reached the museum. "I'll take this wall," he said, pointing down the sidewalk. "You take that one."

I nodded and turned down the sidewalk that joined the one we were on. He trotted straight ahead, leaving me alone to my route. It was quiet - and boring - but I'd run into Douglas on the other side of the park. That would be a little interesting, right? Maybe he found something noteworthy.

Lightning lit up the brick wall beside me, followed by a loud crack of thunder. The wind suddenly hit, signaling that the storm was almost upon us. Just what I wanted: A fucking shower from mother nature.

Stupid weath-

A piercing scream tore through the air, but a massive crashing sound cut it off abruptly.

Mother of god! Orvyn!

I whipped around and bounded back to where I left Orvyn. I couldn't see much of anything at first. You know thunderstorms; they're pretty dark. "Orvyn?" I meowed out questioningly. "Hello?" Another crash within the museum me jump a bit. Lightning revealed a massive hole in the three-story building.

Goody. Our golem friend was here.

Unfortunately, it had probably crushed Orvyn. Damn.

I shifted into my normal form and leapt through the broken bricks and picked my way through the rubble. A trail of massive cracks in the tiled floor made it easy to follow the thing. I charged after it, my ears pinned. Nothing showed on the planes, but I was still nervous. Think about it: The first golem in over five-hundred years, and it was controlled by Krane. How wonderful, right?

Another crash rang out. There went another wall. Jesus, that thing knew nothing about doors. The dim lights that were in the floor offered just enough light to allow me to take a flying leap through the second hole the thing had made. I sprinted through a room filled with shattered vases and was about to jump through the third one when I was basically overwhelmed by magical energy. Whatever it was had Azazel's Bane beat. I froze in place, stunned. What was _that?_ I looked around and started towards where it was emanating from. Oddly enough, it lead me towards an exceptionally small room. The door wasn't even locked. It seemed like a foolish place to keep anything that strong.

And, by the way, it was just a stupid stick leaning against the wall. Seriously. I picked it up carefully with a slight smile. Slow thumps sounded from nearby. Likely the golem, but I was more focused on the staff. Maybe it was The Arm of Raziel. I couldn't be sure. Whatever it was, it was mine now!

"I'll be taking that."

I whirled around, the staff in front of me protectively.

Krane was grinning maniacally at me, his golem pet standing outside the room. It was tall. I could only see its leg. Seriously. That thing was _huge_.

I pinned my ears, shaking a bit. Scary bastard. "I get that I'm about to die and all," I said - because I was alone with Krane and a golem, so I was likely going to be obliterated - "but can you _please _leave everyone else out of it? I mean, what could my family do to stop you from taking over the world? You have a _golem_. You're probably good to go."

Krane scowled and grabbed at the staff, but I pulled it out of range in a bout of bravery. Why? Because I wanted at least _some _answers before I kicked the bucket. "If you're bionic, why do you even _need _demons? Or a powerful staff? Or a _golem?"_ I gestured towards the leg out the door. "This all seems like _overkill_."

"To a _child_, it would," Krane snapped, successfully snatching the staff away from me this time. "It doesn't have to make sense to _you_. It only has to make sense to _me_. You don't even know what this staff _is_."

"So it _is _The Arm of Raziel," I muttered. And Krane just got it. Damn it.

"And _you're _dead," Krane growled, swinging The Arm of Raziel at my head.

I yelped and ducked, flinching as the staff whizzed over my head. I heard it crash through the wall. Krane spat out a cuss word and pulled it free. "Hold still, runt," he huffed.

Okay, dude, I was _not _holding still for your bitch ass. This lion was going to grab the wildebeest by the horns before it stabbed him.

Because I'd rather go down fighting, right? More heroic that way.

He swung the staff as my head again. Only this time, he dropped it before it met its mark. Why?

Because I roared and _kicked him in the nads._

I caught The Arm of Raziel before it hit the floor while Krane dropped to his knees, his face contorted in pain.

It worked! Thank you, Oly!

"Thank you, asshole," I laughed before jumping over Krane and towards the golem. I squeezed through the small space between it and the doorway, my arm brushing against the clay creature. It was cold, but that was the least of my problems.

Because whoever had made the thing's body had actually incorporated _silver_ into the clay.

I cried out, feeling like someone had attempted to burn my arm off. Blood began to drip down my arm, but I ground my teeth and ran towards the hole I had entered through. Great; a golem was on the loose and I couldn't touch it! _Damn it!_

I tightened my grip on The Arm of Raziel. At least _that _was going right.

Until a random fireball crashed into the wall beside me. Well, Krane was up. Wonderful.

Well..._now _what?

A shadow appeared between me and the final hole, causing me to slide to a stop. Well, I tried to, anyways. My foot caught on a random piece of wall on the floor, causing me to lurch forward towards the person in front of me.

Just as whoever it was raised a gun and fired

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**Mua ha ha ha!**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. Doesn't matter. :3**

**And enjoy!**

*******Bows and exits***


	18. Chapter 18 - Intuition

**I think you all have suffered long enough. Let's find out what happens today, shall we?**

**But first, I wish to thank my readers, my reviewers - who showed up en masse to declare their hatred for cliffhangers - and the now-rabid mob outside my window. I like you guys! Please don't eat me!**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Is it the ears? People probably want to coddle me because of the kitty ears...Fine...But don't touch the ears!"**

**Moonlit: Of course Chase is badass.**

**DisneyXDGirl: I just did do so!**

**AriellaHart: Who keeps implying that Zara is a nice person?!**

**DarkestKing: Honestly? Neither of you. One cannot rule with fear alone, and neither can one please the people constantly without appearing weak. Both open the door for revolution and brutal regime changes, brought about by those who can manipulate a crowd almost as well as a king. Queen Elizabeth I and Peter the Great; now _they_ were leaders! Bring _those _dead sons-of-bitches back!**

**Thewriterswayoflife: Silver is to demons as hydrochloric acid is to humans. It just is.**

**RissA15: You are quite welcome. :3**

**Teenagesecrets: *To the tune of "Another One Bites the Dust"* Another one joins the ranks!**

**Anyways, let's do this! Adam?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"The only real valuable thing is intuition."_

**Albert Einstein**

* * *

_"The more you trust your intuition, the more empowered you become, the stronger you become, and the happier you become."_

**Gisele Bundchen**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen - Intuition**

_**Adam**_

He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

A _very_ bad feeling. Like someone was hurt.

And he had no explanation as to why.

When it first started, Adam had immediately annoyed everyone by checking on their whereabouts. Granted, these checks were filled with redundant questions, but only because he needed to know what was going on.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm _fine_, Adam."

"Are you _sure?"_

He could see where it would get irritating. Still, when everyone turned up just fine, his anxiety increased.

What in the _hell _was going on?!

Adam wished he hadn't promised not to summon Chase. Because if anyone knew what Adam felt like he was forgetting, it would be Chase.

But a promise was a promise, and promises were _sacred_.

"Adam? What are you doing?"

Adam craned his neck to look at Mr. Davenport from his current position: Hanging upside-down off of the back of the couch. "Thinking," he answered. "You?"

"Taking a break," Mr. Davenport replied, pulling a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "The code that's blocking Krane's signal just changed entirely. I lost two days' worth of work."

Adam slipped off of the couch, tucking and rolling when he hit the floor before he stood up and wrinkled his nose. "That's a bad thing, right?"

"Very," Mr. Davenport confirmed.

Adam frowned. "Now what?"

Davenport sighed. "Keep trying; that's what. No distractions."

_Actually, a distraction would be nice, _Adam thought as he fidgeted. "Mr. Davenport? Can I watch?"

Mr. Davenport shot him a suspicious look. "Why?"

Adam shrugged sheepishly.

After a second of silence, Mr. Davenport sighed again. "Just try not to distract me, all right? I need to find this guy."

Adam nodded. "Got it."

Maybe watching Mr. Davenport work on mind-numbing gibberish would settle him down.

Would've been nice to know who was in trouble, though.

Unfortunately, Adam had been wrong. Watching Mr. Davenport type nonsense was extremely boring. After about ten minutes, Adam began to throw sharpened pencils at the ceiling. A few stuck while others fell, clattering quietly on the floor at his feet. It wasn't any more entertaining, but it was something. However, he eventually got all of the pencils to stick, which left him with nothing to do again. So he pulled out his phone. On his home screen, the news app he really didn't like was flashing. Yet, where he normally rolled his eyes and ignored it, he suddenly felt like someone invisible was yelling at him that he needed to read it.

Intuition was _loud _sometimes.

Frowning, Adam pressed the app with his thumb. It sprang open, loudly declaring that Marino, Italy had become the latest location of the mysterious museum bombings.

That was how the media described the destruction of all of those Italian museums: An act of terrorism carried out with home-made explosives. Adam had never quite understood terrorism. Chase had tried to explain it once. Something about using fear to get your way. But when Adam looked up Israel - by far one of the most terrorized countries in the world - the citizens didn't looked scared at all. They all seemed perfectly fine.

_"That's because terrorism has a zero percent success rate," _Mr. Davenport had explained. _"It doesn't work. Never has."_

Terrorism didn't work. So why was it even still used? Douglas dropped it; why couldn't everyone else?

"Another museum in Italy was just destroyed," he noted out loud, shaking off his thought pattern.

Mr. Davenport didn't look at Adam, but he _did _nod. "Someone either hates art or _really _wants to find something."

Adam frowned as a thought surfaced. "Wasn't Chase interested in the first one in Rome?"

"Something about golems," Mr. Davenport recalled. "He was all kinds of excited about Yahn telling Douglas about it. Why?"

Adam shrugged. "What if he thought Krane did it?"

Mr. Davenport scoffed. "Adam, there's no way that..." He trailed off for a moment before he turned quickly to look at Adam. "Get your mission equipment." He looked at the screen in the wall while Adam stared at Mr. Davenport with confusion. "Eddy, tell Bree to get down here now."

For once, the computer listened quietly. Bree arrived in the middle of the Lab a split-second later. "What?"

"Get your gear," he instructed. He clapped his hands together once, his eyes flashing with excitement. "You and Adam are going to Marino. More specifically, the museum that was just destroyed. _Immediately_."

* * *

_"'Death happens,' as we like to say. And when I get paid for it, death happens more often."_

**Zevran, _Dragon Age: Origins_**

* * *

_"Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that's why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right."_

**Wade Boggs**

* * *

_**Chase**_

Dying hurt less than I thought it would.

I mean, I was shot, and I didn't feel a thing. It was amazing.

But my wing still hurt, so...what the hell? Why were some pains negated when others weren't?

And where would I end up? Heaven? Hell? Reincarnated? Somewhere else? I never actually learned about the afterlife. I kind of thought that death was the end. Since I was obviously still capable of coherent thought, the afterlife must exist.

Maybe someone around here had some answers?

I opened my eyes a bit to find myself facedown on a pile of debris.

Damn. Purgatory was a _dump_.

And the ringing noise in my ears needed to _stop_. Seriously. I couldn't hear anything.

Wait, I take that back. I heard a second gun shot close by, causing me to cringe from the pain of such a loud sound striking my extremely sensitive eardrums. Over a minute, five more shots rang out systematically. Whoever was shooting was obviously aiming to hit something.

A sixth shot rang out, followed by a muffled cry of victory and a loud yelp of pain. _"Got you!"_

I had my ears pinned as hard as I could, subconsciously clutching whatever I was holding closer to my chest. Because it was mine.

_Mine, _damn it!

Not sure why. But the magic staff - wait, The Arm of Raziel - was mine now.

Yay!

Wait, it died, too?

And whoever was shooting?

_No, dumbass_, my voice commented.

Holy crap, I wasn't dead!

Whoever was shooting missed me!

Thank God! Or Gods. Or who-the-hell-ever was listening.

I opened my eyes fully to find myself on the tiled floor of the Marino museum, surrounded by various pieces of wall. And hanging onto The Arm of Raziel.

Well, I wasn't so convinced that it was mine now.

Screw it. My staff.

I kind of wanted to chew on it. Didn't know why. Stupid instincts.

So why wasn't I dead yet? Hopefully Krane wasn't a guy who enjoyed playing with his food.

As my hearing finally cleared up, I heard rapid footsteps that grew steadily closer before whoever stopped at my side. "You all right, Chase?"

"_Douglas?!"_ I rolled over onto my back and sat up rapidly only to find him crouching beside me. "When did you get here?" I paused and gestured at the .9 mm pistol in his hand. "What _idiot_ sold _you _a gun?" Douglas chuckled, but wasn't looking at me. His eyes were watching the shadows. I started looking around, too. "Did you...?"

"Krane didn't die, if that's what you're asking," Douglas answered. "He's a fast son of a bitch. Caught him in the leg, but he geo-leapt away. Good thing, too: I would've had to reload."

Why in the hell would that power house run? He had a _golem_. Speaking of which..."What about the - "

A loud crash sounded from deep within the building, cutting off my words. Douglas sighed. "The golem's running home, I guess." He turned the gun's safety on, opened the action and pulled the emptied magazine out before he glanced at me. His eyes widened as he pocketed the magazine and slid the disarmed pistol into a hidden holster before reaching towards me. "Chase, is that The Arm of Raziel?"

I leaned back, clutching The Arm of Raziel even tighter. "And it's _mine_."

Douglas held his hands up in self-defense. "For _now_."

I snorted. He wished.

"Douglas?"

I perked my ears to see Douglas' patrol partner - small guy named António or something like that - picking his way through the rubble towards us. "Are you all right?" he asked in thickly-accented English.

Douglas nodded. He rose from his crouched position and dusted himself off. "Did you get a look at the creature, Chase?" he asked formally.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Damn politics. Have to look good for the Council, right? "_Touched _it, too. It's a golem, all right. But it has silver in it." I shrugged, finally pushing myself to my feet. "We can't touch it."

"An actual golem," António breathed, crossing himself like all Catholics tend to do. "And that staff? Let me see it, demon," he ordered, reaching for it.

I backed up and pinned my ears with a warning growl.

António shot Douglas an incredulous look, but Douglas just shrugged. "If you want to lose your hand to look at a replica of The Arm of Raziel, then you be my guest. _I'm _going to let him keep his new toy. I value my life."

Saying that it was a replica so that the Council wouldn't take it. Talk about a bluff. I growled warningly and clutched it tighter.

António glared at me, but dropped the subject. "Where is Orvyn?"

"Dead," I answered with a shrug.

António gave a frustrated sigh. "Davvero?" I nodded confirmation. With another sigh - António pointed at Douglas. "The Council _will _be wanting _il resoconto _tomorrow morning." With that, he turned away and stalked through the debris, muttering, "Che casino," under his breath.

Douglas nudged me. "What does that mean?" he whispered.

"What a madhouse," I translated. "It's like 'what a mess' in English."

Douglas smacked the back of my head gently. "Not that. 'Il resoconto.'"

"A report," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head with one hand.

"Damn it; I _hate _reports," Douglas muttered, crossing his arms.

"Yeah; how about we think of that _later_," I suggested as more Summoners and demons began to arrive and the blue-and-red lights of the fuzz showed in the background.

"Good call," Douglas conceded. "How do you say, 'Run; it's the cops and we'll explain tomorrow' in Italian?"

I pinned my ears and sighed. "Fuggite! La polizia stanno arrivando! Spiegheremo la mattina!"

Like someone had dropped a flag, Summoners and demons alike took off in various directions. Meanwhile, Douglas and I ran farther back into the museum. It took a moment, but we managed to find the hole the golem had made when it left and escaped through that, effectively putting a building between ourselves and Italy's finest. Poor Douglas was winded from the sprint - old-timer needed to take it easy; fucking _amateur _- but we power walked the hell out of Dodge anyways.

We were halfway back to the hotel when Douglas finally recovered. He broke the silence that was Marino at night with a question. "So the golem has some silver in it, huh? You all right?"

"I'll live," I answered, ignoring the silver-wound as it throbbed. I tightened my grip on The Arm of Raziel. "At least we have this."

"Are you _ever _going to let me see it?" Douglas asked with a raised eyebrow.

Since it was just a four-foot-long gray wooden staff with a series of runes around the top five inches with a thin, brown leather strip beneath the writing and a much larger leather-wrapped area in the center for a comfortable hand hold, I nodded. "I'm betting I'll lose interest in this thing eventually. It's probably the magic vibe it gives off that makes me want to keep it."

Because it was tingly and nice. And mine. _All mine_.

_Because you deserve it, _my voice rationalized. _Every demon deserves nice trinkets and mystical objects. It's your birth right as a superior being._

Made sense. But I couldn't keep holding it forever. Besides, where would I carry it? Across my back? Might as well have crowned me the Nerd King.

A sudden breeze pulled me back from my thoughts as it startled me. I was ready to comment about the weather when my eyes landed on none other than Bree and Adam, casually standing in front of us.

Beside me, Douglas appeared stunned. It took him a moment before he could finally speak. "How in the _hell_ did you find us?!" Then, he glanced sideways at me.

I tightened my grip on The Arm of Raziel and grinned nervously. Great. It wasn't my fault, but I was going to get in trouble for it, anyways.

* * *

**See? Chase is fine. :3**

**Worry warts.**

**I wonder why Chase likes The Arm of Raziel so much?**

**And what's going to happen next. Guess you'll just have to read.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. I really don't care.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	19. Chapter 19 - Taking Pictures

**Chapter Nineteen! Yay! 'Tis filler, but kind of entertaining.**

**Anyways, thank you, random readers, less random reviewers, and various Lab Rats fans. :3 Many hearts from me to you.**

**Kidding. You only get one heart each.**

**DarkestKing: I'm thinking they were worried about the bullet messing up Chase's pretty face more than it actually killing him.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Better not. I'll make a sad face and Douglas will go all papa bear on your ass. :3"**

**Moonlit: Lol it's not demon-nip.**

**DisneyXDGirl: "You already have a dozen of my feathers, woman! _Damn_."**

**Anyways, let's find out what happened! Douglas?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"I love when people underestimate me and then become pleasantly surprised."_

**Kim Kardashian (I _hate _the Kardashians, but she had the perfect quote.)**

* * *

"_Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?"_

**Benjamin Franklin**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen - Taking Pictures**

_**Chase**_

As it turned out, I _had _inadvertently given our location to the rest of the family. If I hadn't made such a big deal about the attack in Rome, then Bree wouldn't be glaring at Oly - who was smugly showing off the rhinestones she had stolen - while Adam hugged Yahn.

Well, the situation wasn't _all _bad. Adam and Yahn seemed pretty glad to see each other.

Douglas, meanwhile, had excitedly pulled out a leather-bound book and started to doodle something in it a moment after we got back to the room. Not sure why. I didn't feel like asking. It was a nice break from him being exceedingly wound up about being found. That, and I was too busy admiring The Arm of Raziel.

_All of that power, lying dormant,_ my voice noted. _It's just waiting to be used. Someone could bring the world to its knees with this staff._

I didn't know if that was totally true, but The Arm of Raziel could _certainly _do some massive things in the right hands. The energy it gave off was stunning. I didn't know if I could handle it if it were actually activated. How any human ever successfully wielded the staff was hard to comprehend.

But where did the power come from?

And _why _did I still want to chew on it?!

A sudden weight on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. Mainly because whoever it was managed to brush against my silver burn while getting balanced, drawing a hiss from me. "The Arm of Raziel. Yahn has friends in there."

I resisted the urge to shrug Oly off of me. "Friends?"

"There are about forty-seven imps imprisoned in it," Yahn explained. He was smiling while he sat in Adam's lap. "That's where the power comes from."

I glanced at The Arm of Raziel. No wonder I was fascinated with it. Instinct said to eat imps, and the staff had a basic feast locked away inside of it. Now that I knew what the problem was - and could _control _it through willpower - I wasn't anywhere near as possessive over The Arm of Raziel. In fact, I was steadily growing bored with it. It was still nice - and I kind of wanted to hoard it so I could spend the rest of my life with the knowledge that I had it instead of somebody else - but it had become an artifact I wanted to study sometimes rather than an absolutely necessary possession. "That explains _a lot_." I glanced at Douglas, who was moving his pencil rapidly on the paper. "You want this thing now?" When he didn't look up, I rolled my eyes. "_Douglas_."

He jumped a bit and looked at me, blinking a couple of times. "What now?"

Bree frowned. "What are you doing?"

Douglas stood up as I shook The Arm of Raziel a bit meaningfully. "Taking a picture," he answered absently as he gently took the staff from me.

"Where's your camera?" Adam asked from across the room as he finally joined the conversation.

I was wondering that myself. What in the _hell_ was Douglas talking about?

Bree, however, tilted her head. "You still draw? Didn't you give it up when you were a kid?"

Douglas looked at her, his expression laced with suspicion. "Who told you that?"

I perked my ears. "Wait; you can draw something that _isn't_ a Circle?"

Bree suddenly threw her hands up in a gesture of innocence like I hadn't spoken. "Mr. Davenport told me."

Douglas nodded slowly before he pointed The Arm of Raziel at her. "Tell him to stop giving away all my secrets."

Bree nodded. "Oh, and I'm sorry about your dad. But fighting the church and government won't bring him back."

Adam - who had looked oddly excited since the mention of art and had likely ignored the part about our grandfather - suddenly cut into the conversation. Good thing, too; he defused a bad situation in the making. Douglas looked ready to club someone with The Arm of Raziel. "I want to see your drawings."

Douglas shot him a look. "No."

"What's the big deal?" Oly asked. She leapt down onto my lap. "Let the guy see your pictures."

"I kind of want to see them, too," Bree added.

"_No_," Douglas insisted. "No one has seen them since I was _fifteen_. It's not going to change tonight."

"Please?" Adam threw on his most convincing puppy face.

It made me want to glue myself to his side forever. Stupid Charmers.

Douglas glared at him. "I'm immune to that expression, Adam. Donnie used it when we were kids and I was mad at him. It loses its effect once someone lies about caring and forgiveness a few dozen times."

Adam sighed, dropping the pout. "Fine." Yahn patted Adam's knee comfortingly. After a second, though, Adam asked, "Can you at least teach me how to draw? I can only do Circles."

Douglas shook his head as he rested the base of The Arm of Raziel on the floor. "That'll take a lot of time we don't have. Sorry."

A sudden breeze filled the room, actually making Douglas stumble back in surprise. A second later, Bree appeared next to Adam with Douglas' leather book. Douglas looked ready to dive for it, so I - in all my glory - leapt to my feet - Oly fell out of my lap with a yelp - and jumped on him with a wild cry. We both went down to the floor in a heap while he snapped, "Chase, what the _hell?!"_

"I got 'im," I growled, sitting on his back.

"Awesome!" Adam declared as he high-fived Bree. He took the book and opened it as Bree leaned over his shoulder. Yahn popped his head up under Adam's chin to see for himself while Oly jumped onto Bree's shoulder and leaned forward to look.

"Get _off_ of me, kid!" Douglas swung The Arm of Raziel up towards me in an attempt to knock me off.

Too easy.

I smirked and caught the end of the staff, stopping it. It hurt my hands and jarred my shoulders a bit, but it was simple.

Of course, Douglas was a cunning bastard and brilliant tactician with years of experience that I didn't have. I made the mistake of forgetting that and was rewarded accordingly.

_That _was a fun lesson.

Douglas pulled hard on The Arm of Raziel while I held on to the end, jerking me off his back. I hit the floor hard and gasped as air rushed out of my lungs. _Damn_, he was stronger than he looked. I scrambled to stand, but only rolled onto my stomach before Douglas had me incapacitated. I felt The Arm of Raziel press across my throat, Douglas holding both ends and pulling back while he dug his knee into my back between my shoulder blades. It didn't hurt, but it was humiliating.

My wonderful siblings were supportive, as always. They - along with Oly and Yahn - were laughing at me. Adam was actually clapping. Assholes. "Learn how to fight, Half-Breed!" Oly snickered.

"Don't rush in without a plan," Douglas hissed in my ear. He pulled the staff a bit harder. "And, more importantly, _don't do that again." _He let go of one end of the staff, releasing me as he stood up. I rolled my shoulders and dragged myself to my feet, rubbing my throat. I pinned my ears and growled resentfully, glaring at him.

Meanwhile, the peanut gallery had lost interest in the situation and had resumed flipping gingerly through Douglas' book. "Douglas, these are fantastic," Bree commented.

Douglas frowned and clutched The Arm of Raziel insecurely. "I don't know about _fantastic.._.."

Wow. Something he wasn't exceedingly confident about. I perked my ears and dusted myself off. With as much dignity as I could muster, I strode to Adam's side and looked at the book. I was stunned. It was an extremely accurate drawing of the scene moments ago. Oly and Bree were glaring at each other, Adam and Yahn were hugging, and I was staring at The Arm of Raziel with an obsessive, almost feral expression. Even though he had only spent about ten minutes on it, the drawing already had the beginning of life-like shading. "Douglas, this really is amazing."

"_I _don't have anything bad to say about them," Oly mumbled. "And I'm _me_."

"It's a miracle," Yahn commented wryly. "You never shut up."

Oly growled, but Douglas stopped the impending attack. "Oly, Yahn: Don't start a fight."

They winced, but left each other alone. Adam closed the book since we had reached the end and handed it back to Douglas. "Why do you hide these?"

Douglas laid the book on the bed with a sigh. "Habit. Like I said before Chase tried to jump me: No one has seen them since I was fifteen. Not my personal ones, anyways."

"Is it because Mr. Davenport used to steal them?" Bree asked. Where was she getting all of this information?!

Douglas stared at her. "Is there a biography about me that I haven't read?! How do you _know _that?"

"As interesting as that answer will probably be, I'm _bored_," Oly whined, stopping any explanation that might have been forthcoming. She pointed at The Arm of Raziel. "Master, what are you going to do with that?"

Douglas looked at the staff he held thoughtfully. "Not sure yet. But since you three can't touch the golem, this will be good for taking it out, I guess."

"Why can't we touch the golem?" Adam asked, confused.

"Not _you_," I explained. "Oly, Yahn and I. It has silver in it." I rolled up my sleeve to show them the scabby burn on my arm.

Adam whistled in amazement while Bree wrinkled her nose and backed up, a horrified look on her face. Oly and Yahn shook their heads sympathetically while Douglas eyed it wearily. "Remind me to check that later," he instructed. I nodded and pulled my sleeve down.

"Anyways," Bree began, obviously hunting a subject change. "Can you even use...whatever that thing is?"

"The Arm of Raziel, and..." Douglas trailed off before sighing. "Well, I don't exactly know how to activate it yet, but I'll find it!"

"And probably blow yourself up in the process," Oly mumbled.

"I can handle The Arm of Raziel," Douglas haughtily declared. "You watch me." After a pause, he gestured towards Bree. "So what are you two here for? Drag Chase home? Turn me in? What?"

Adam and Bree exchanged a look. "We actually don't know," Adam admitted. "Mr. Davenport never told us."

"Then we should bring him here," I responded. "Bring _everyone _here, since Krane is obviously nearby. We can kick his ass while he's sticking around."

"Why not?" Yahn agreed helpfully.

After a moment of consideration, Douglas nodded. "Someone call Donnie and see how he feels about a family reunion in Italy."

* * *

**Oh, Chase...when it comes to wrestling Douglas, greater men than you have tried.**

**Anyways, that was the chapter. Mainly filling, but whatever. It's because we're approaching the ending.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**And enjoy!**

***Bows and exits***


	20. Chapter 20 - Battle Plan

**Chapter Twenty! Yay!**

**More filler, but it advances the story.**

**You _might_ drown in viewpoints here. 'Tis opinion. Nothing more.**

**Thanks to my readers, my reviewers, my stalkers. :3 Hell hath no fury like a fan whose shrine was destroyed.**

**Moonlit: "I'm an awesome fighter, thank you."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Douglas said hellhounds don't exist. Other than that, he'd do all of the above. And yes, I would love a blanket. :3"**

**gg180000: Nah. As long as the jewelry itself doesn't touch him, she can.**

**DisneyXDGirl: "Yeah! Random bloodshed! Let's paint the sky in glorious crimson! Join me, Half-Breed!"**

**"Tone it the fuck down, Oly!"**

**So let's do this, guys. Leo?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."_

**Albert Einstein**

* * *

_"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort."_

**Paul J. Meyer**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty - Battle Plan**

_**Leo**_

He didn't know what happened.

One second, Mr. Davenport was on the phone. The next, everything was a blur of color and sound. After an extremely confusing moment, everything suddenly stopped. Leo stumbled a few steps, disoriented. "I don't feel so good."

"Of course _he_ gets motion sickness."

"You would, too, if you were traveling halfway across the world at seven-hundred or so miles per hour without any warning."

"I wouldn't because I'm not a scrawny wimp."

It took Leo a second to identify the two bantering individuals. He shook his head a bit to clear it before he finally noticed Douglas and Chase - the speaking individuals - and Adam, who was scratching behind Yahn's ears. "How-?"

A gust of wind cut him off as it announced the arrival of Mr. Davenport and Tasha. Tasha looked as woozy and bewildered as Leo had been a moment before. Mr. Davenport, however, was actually quite composed. Apparently, he had been expecting the trip and had neglected to inform anyone else about it. Between the two stood Bree, Oly clinging to her shoulders with a massive grin spread across her beak. "That kicked ass!"

Tasha recovered enough to thump Oly behind the ear. "Watch your language."

Of course, Oly glared and muttered - probably something obscene - but no one understood it.

Except Chase with his sensitive ears. He grinned, showing his sharp teeth, but didn't do anything else.

"Where _are _we?" Leo asked, looking around.

"Benvenuti in Italia!" Chase declared.

Adam glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Welcome to Italy," Chase translated, rolling his eyes. Under his breath, he muttered, "Culture is lost on you."

"Why are we in _Italy?" _Tasha asked, her eyes wide.

"The awesome spaghetti, obviously," Douglas responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He had a plain staff in one hand that rested on the floor, giving Douglas the appearance of a mage in the video games Leo sometimes played. Hell, the guy summoned demons; he was as close to a mage as one could probably get. "Bree, did you _really_ have to bring her and Leo?"

Bree crossed her arms. "Yes. Last I checked, they're family, too. And I'm not leaving them home alone with Krane out there."

"He isn't going to Mission Creek until he gets The Arm of Raziel," Yahn reasoned, nodding at the staff Douglas held. "He'll try to take us out here to enhance his odds when he goes after everyone else."

"Too bad everyone else is here, right?" Oly chuckled.

"Wait," Tasha interjected. "How do you know he's here?"

"Krane attacked the museum here about an hour or so ago," Chase explained. "He's injured. No idea where he is now, but he can't be far off."

"Wait: Who says that Krane isn't across the world right now?" Mr. Davenport asked. "Oh, and _injured? _What did you do?"

Douglas nodded towards a nightstand near Leo. Leo frowned and looked just to find himself standing very close to a pistol. It looked a bit different than he had seen on television - the clip was on the nightstand beside the gun and the back of the top part was slightly open - but it was still a gun. He yelped and backed up rapidly. "A _gun? _Guns kill!"

"No, they don't," Oly said, rolling her eyes.

"You would think that we would've noticed it," Adam mused as he looked at it, eyes widened.

Tasha was pale with worry and anger. "You have a _pistol_ around these guys? They could get hurt! Leo's right; guns kill."

Mr. Davenport held up a hand. "Honey, Douglas and I know about the dangers of guns better than anyone. But it's not the gun that kills."

Douglas nodded. "In fact, let's test that." He casually walked to the nightstand and picked up the pistol. He pulled the back a bit and let go. It sprang forward, closing the small opening. _Now _it looked like the guns Leo had seen. Douglas then strode to the middle of the room and gingerly laid the gun on the floor. He placed a few bullets beside it before he laid the clip by the muzzle. Straightening up, he gestured broadly. "Go ahead, gun: Kill somebody."

Adam dove behind a chair, Yahn held protectively in his arms. "I don't want to die!"

Leo, however, nodded slowly. Douglas' exaggerated test proved a very good point: The gun was just an object. Harmless, if handled correctly.

After a moment, Douglas picked the gun up again. "Either my gun is defective, really lazy, or inanimate. Guns don't kill. _People_ do. The weapons they use are just tools."

"If we didn't have weapons, it wouldn't be a problem," Tasha muttered.

At this, Chase spoke up. "People kill with their bare hands. _Without_ weapons. It doesn't matter; these things are going to happen. If people are determined enough, they'll find a way." Chase nodded towards the staff that Douglas held.

"What a pessimistic viewpoint," Bree noted quietly.

"Not pessimistic," Yahn countered as Adam cautiously emerged from hiding. "_Realistic_. Reality isn't always great, but acknowledging that doesn't make you pessimistic. It lets you see the good things, too. For example: Could you die in a car accident tomorrow? Yes. Will you, though? Probably not. It's being observant enough to acknowledge that bad things could happen, but being smart enough to see what the odds of those things occurring really are." He shrugged. "Yes, people can kill others with their bare hands. But how many people actually do it?"

"_Hundreds_," Leo answered, thinking of the frequency of murder stories on the evening news.

"So, of the 7.046 _billion_ people on Earth, we only hear about a few hundred murderers," Yahn continued. "What does that tell you? You should still be wary, but it shouldn't plague your thoughts."

Stunned silence filled the room as this sunk in. The perspective was _mind blowing. _How Leo had never realized that before was surprising to him.

"I don't mean to interrupt philosophy," Mr. Davenport finally said, "but I want to return to the original question: How do you now Krane is nearby?"

"He can't geo-leap with his golem," Douglas explained with a casual shrug. "The larger something is, the harder it is to leap with. The golem is a total no-go."

"And we still have the staff," Chase pointed out. "He _really_ wants it."

Leo pointed at the staff Douglas held. "Is that The Arm of Raziel? The actual staff?" He'd read about it briefly - Alexander the Great had apparently used it to conquer half of the known world ages back - but he was under the impression that it was just a myth.

"The real deal, baby," Chase answered, grinning.

"Why would Krane want some stupid stick?" Adam asked. He had half-assed the historical studies of summoning.

"He wants to rule the world?" Douglas guessed. "I don't _care_ why he wants it. I just know that he can't have it."

Mr. Davenport opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Bree let out a high-pitched scream and ran up the wall to stick to the ceiling. "_Rat!"_

Leo followed her line of sight just to see the rodent itself scurry under the bed, frightened by the noise.

Tasha shuddered. "How are you staying here? This place is _disgusting_."

It honestly wasn't too bad, in Leo's opinion; it was like any other cheap hotel room: A gilded area; clean on the surface with horrible secrets beneath.

Douglas suddenly grinned. "We're staying here because we're looking for a rare breed of rat known as the Norwegian Blue-Tailed Rat. Rumor has it that one could be in this very room."

Chase was suddenly cracking up for some reason. Must have been some kind of inside joke. "But you found one back in Røros."

Mr. Davenport suddenly groaned. "Of _course_, you went to Røros. Why didn't I look _there?"_

"What's a Røros?" Adam asked, frowning.

"Little town in Norway," Davenport explained. "Near Hessdalen Valley."

Chase's eyes suddenly lit up. "That valley is _awesome!"_

Davenport smiled sadly. "Figures that you took him to see the lights. Always wanted to take these guys. Never could find the time."

"Can we get back on track here?" Oly huffed. "Krane? What are we going to do about him?"

"We have to find him first," Bree pointed out.

"What if he finds us first?" Tasha asked, glancing wearily at the window. It was a bit strange that it was night now where it had been day minutes before, but Leo tried not to think of his inevitable jet lag.

"What _if_ he finds us first?" Yahn echoed. "Why are we hunting him? Make him come to us."

"How?" Oly snorted. She leaned forward on Bree's shoulder. "Do you want to put a neon sign on the roof that says, 'Send your silver golem here'?"

"With a middle finger under it," Chase added enthusiastically.

"We'll think of something," Yahn said while the two snickered.

"I'd rather _not_ sit around like a fool," Bree muttered.

Leo nudged her. "It's either that, or we try to break that code."

"I can break it," Chase piped up, grinning smugly while Douglas rolled his eyes.

"We might not have two days to wait this time," Oly noted.

"How did you do that?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"I glared at it for minute. It begged and pleaded, but I showed it no mercy," Chase explained with a straight face. "In the end, it yielded."

"I witnessed this with my own eyes!" Douglas declared, raising The Arm of Raziel in a regal gesture.

"Why don't we just do both?" Adam suggested while he rubbed behind Yahn's ears.

"Awesome idea," Chase agreed. Then, he paused. "Wait, that's a good idea, right? I'm not just Charmed?"

"It's actually a good idea," Bree confirmed.

"Split up! The sooner we do this, the sooner we find Krane, the sooner this ends," Mr. Davenport ordered.

* * *

**There we are, ya'll. Starting the final hunt.**

**So stay tuned. :3**

**Anywho, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	21. Chapter 21 - Let's Discuss

**Chapter Twenty - One! Woo!**

**We're nearing the end! It steadily approaches.**

**It's just filler again, and it's a bit short, but it's here. :3**

**Thanks to my readers, my reviewers, my many shadow-steppers who follow Chase around. You're fun. :3**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Lol we welcome you and your sugar back. :3**

**Darkestking: Mmm, silence. The greatest sound in the world sometimes, isn't it?**

**DisneyXDGirl: "The voice in my head may like senseless violence, but I don't."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Douglas is just protective. :3 And...say, a blue one?"**

**Moonlit: "Guns are the great equalizer."**

**Douglas, _please_ don't go on a gun rant.**

**"Your loss."**

**Anyways, let's get through this filling. Hmm...Mr. Davenport?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"You can't win unless you try to win, but you can lose by trying not to lose."_

**Jack Campbell, _Relentless (The Lost Fleet, #5)_  
**

* * *

_"Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next."_

**George R.R. Martin, _A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One - Let's Discuss**

_**Chase**_

Mr. Davenport was gaping at the laptop screen. "Seriously? That's all it took?"

I nodded at him, grinning as he examined the timer. In two days, the GPS block on Krane's chip would be broken again. In the event that we couldn't come up with a plan before then, it would lead us to Krane. Fun stuff, backup plans.

A sudden bang sounded from across the room, followed by a frustrated groan. "Brighid, Herne: Grant me _patience_."

Mr. Davenport and I looked over to see Douglas banging his head on the table repeatedly. Beside him, Tasha and Bree were frowning while Adam looked confused. Yahn - who had fallen asleep on Adam's shoulders - jumped slightly at the loud noise, snorting loudly as he woke up. "What now?"

"Who are Brighid and Herne?" Leo asked from the couch, where he was reading through one of Douglas' many summoning books.

"The Lord and Lady," Mr. Davenport explained. "Herne is a God and Brighid is a Goddess."

"Why haven't _we_ heard of Them?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, Donald," Tasha echoed. "Why _haven't_ we heard of Them?"

Douglas looked up from the table, an eyebrow raised. "Really? You tell anyone who asks everything about us being kids, but you didn't explain _Them?_ Did these three never have religious questions?" He gestured at me, Bree and Adam.

Mr. Davenport shook his head. "Not really."

True. Honestly, none of us actually asked. We were too busy wondering what was outside the Lab to think about spirituality. It wasn't a concern to us. It still wasn't, really. That didn't mean that curiosity wasn't gnawing at me now, but it could wait.

Douglas leaned back in his chair, but dropped it. "Moving on," he began, "your plan won't work, Adam."

"Why not?" Adam challenged.

Yeah: Why not? Adam had _great_ ideas!

...Wait...

Never mind.

"We don't have clones, a time machine, access to six different parallel universes, or a _harp playing chimp_," Douglas hissed.

"I don't see _you _coming up with anything," Adam huffed.

"Look," Bree suggested, "maybe we could follow the golem's trail of destruction? You said it ran away, right? Wouldn't that be visible?"

"Krane probably has a trap ready in case we _do_ follow the golem," Oly pointed out. I was a bit surprised to hear her talk; I thought she was asleep. The way she was curled up beside Leo did nothing to dispel that impression.

"Maybe we should wait until he shows up again?" Tasha suggested. "He's on the run. He probably won't try anything until he heals."

"Tasha," I began, "Krane is injured, meaning we have him weaker than ever. If we're going to take him on, it has to be soon. Who knows when another opportunity like this will present itself? Yes, he's on the ropes. Let's _keep_ him there."

"Maybe we can call in some backup while we think of ways to draw him out?" Leo suggested. "I mean, having an army of demons to take on a golem -"

"There isn't a demon alive that can touch that thing," Yahn informed him. "It has silver in it."

Douglas gave a sly smile. "I could always summon Ferran. See where that takes us."

I growled and pinned my ears. Just his _name _pissed me off. "I hate that guy."

Everyone suddenly looked at me. "Why?" Bree asked.

"No idea," I huffed. "I want to beat him up, though."

_Ferran is a weak fool,anyways, _my voice egged on. _He would easily fall to you._

"Who's stronger?" Yahn asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"I can't tell, actually," I responded with a frown.

"No wonder," Oly snorted. "You two are so evenly matched that you can't tell the difference. Ergo, your need to test your power against his. You two want to find out who is the weakest so that you can either grovel or dominate accordingly. Yahn and Kora do the same thing."

Yahn snapped his beak together loudly. "I _hate _Kora."

I slowly nodded and crossed my arms. That made a lot of sense. "_I'm_ stronger. Just sayin'. And - while I'm thinking about it - are you _really_ going to report to the Council in the morning?"

Douglas sighed. "I'd rather _not_ have an afrit break in and escort me there. So yes, I am."

"Is the Summoner's Council fun?" Adam asked.

"No," Douglas answered. "Most members have their smug heads so far up their -"

"Douglas," Tasha warned, glaring at him.

"Anyways, it's pretty boring," he finished, censoring himself to avoid Tasha's anger.

"We interrupt this pointless discussion for some breaking news!" Leo suddenly declared, holding up the book he was reading. "I think I found how to activate The Arm of Raziel." He stood up and walked to the table, where he gently laid the book down and pointed at a page.

_Snap his neck! Just make that midget shut up! His voice is like a knife scraping against a metal pan!_

Everyone glanced at the book. "Yahn, isn't this one you stole from Navarro?" Douglas asked.

"It's not like he needed it anymore," Yahn defended, crossing his arms as everyone stared at him. "Navarro _died_. As far as I'm concerned, it's not stealing."

"Who was Navarro?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Good guy forced into our pursuit by Krane," I answered. I hesitated before finishing. "We barely knew him, and he sacrificed himself to help us."

"Technically, he was just trying to take Krane out," Oly corrected. "Honestly, he probably didn't care about us."

"But he stopped Krane from having _two_ golems instead of one," Yahn countered.

"Jesus Christ, you actually _did_ find something," Douglas suddenly stated. He looked like he was ready to gag over the admission that Leo wasn't useless.

Leo wore a smug expression, but didn't say anything as Douglas read, silently mouthing the words to himself. Finally, he stopped. "That's..._shockingly _easy. Wow."

"You're _welcome_," Leo said, giving a mock bow.

"We can take the golem out!" I cheered.

"Or you could just take the scroll out of it's mouth," Oly huffed. "Whichever gets you to shut up _faster_."

I picked up a pencil and threw it, hitting her beak with it. "No one asked you."

_"I_ asked me," Oly huffed, sitting up. "I think that counts."

A ballpoint pen hit Oly this time.

Funny thing: I didn't throw it.

_Bree_ did.

She leaned back in her chair, innocently checking her nails for dirt. When she realized that we were staring at her, she shrugged. "It slipped."

Oly jumped to the floor, scowling. "My foot's gonna slip up your -"

I stepped on Oly's tail as she marched past me, effectively stopping her.

Oly growled loudly and started to pull on her tail. "I'll take you out, too, Half-Breed. _Try me_."

"What's this about a scroll?" Mr. Davenport asked after a second of silence had passed.

"The golem has a scroll in its mouth," Yahn explained.

"You remove the scroll, you deactivate the golem," Douglas finished.

"There's just a few problems," I started. "It's moving and likely to defend itself, demons can't touch it, and the mouth is about ten feet in the air. It would be easier just to blow the thing up." I yawned broadly after that, snapping my jaws shut like a spring. It was three in the morning and we had to be up early tomorrow. Well, Douglas did, at least. He had a flippin' meeting with the Council.

In public.

Where we could be seen.

"I have an idea," I began. "What if we stay visible all day? Then, late afternoon, we go somewhere more private? Because he won't strike in public. He'll wait until we're alone."

"I don't like it, Half-Breed," Yahn said after a moment. "We'd be sitting ducks. I mean, we'd be expecting his attack, but he will still have the advantage of being able to time it."

"Do you have a better idea?" Oly asked.

"Listen," Douglas cut in. "We're tired. Before we do _anything_, we should probably get some sleep."

"But I'm not tired," Bree protested.

"Me, neither," Adam agreed.

"Because you just came from the middle of the day, guys," Leo explained. "These four have been awake a lot longer than we have."

I nodded. However, before I could say anything, a deafening crash cut me off. Glass, plaster and wood flew through the air around us as we ducked to the floor and covered our heads.

"The Arm of Raziel is _mine!_"

Well, Krane _did_ come to us first.

The plan worked! Yay, success!

* * *

**You thought it was just going to be filler, huh? I'm a tricky bastard. :P**

**So who's ready for some awesome fighting?!**

**Too bad! You'll have to wait until next time. :3 *Cruel***

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Me no care.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	22. Chapter 22 - Feel My Wrath!

**Chapter Twenty-Two! Yay!**

**This chapter is going to be drowning in lyrics from "Two Wars (Russian version)" by The Slot. Fun song. Anyways, if it reads weird - it will - that's why. 'Tis a translation.**

**So thank ye, my readers, reviewers, and stalkers. :3 Here's to you!**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Yeeeeeees.**

**DisneyXDGirl: We'll see.**

**DarkestKing: Dang. I'll have to be sneakier next time. :P**

**Moonlit: Damn him, indeed!**

**RissA15: ...I...but...you've been here for how long now? Why are you just now posting an explanation like this? .-. (Thanks.) Unfortunately, I suck at drawing people. And staffs. Sorry. :c**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Well, there was this one time when...Wait; I'll let you read it."**

**So let's do this! Tasha?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...It's becoming warmer, and we do not see. For we're lost in the war, and nothing else happens...!"_

**The Slot, _Two Wars (Russian version; unofficial English translation)_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Feel My Wrath!**

_**Chase**_

If you tear a hotel wall down with a golem, tourists tend to flip out.

Our hotel neighborhood must have been full of _idiots_, then. They didn't freak out or anything. They kind of came trickling out of their rooms, rubbing their eyes sleepily.

Yahn jumped off of Adam's shoulders and pulled on Bree's shirt. "You should get them out of here."

Bree - thankful to have something to do other than hide under the table - nodded and vanished in a blur.

Beside me, Mr. Davenport coughed a bit from the dust the golem had kicked up before he nodded at me. "You all right, Chase?"

I nodded, shouting to be heard over the sound of the building breaking. "You? And what about everyone else?"

"I'll be _awesome _once you get off of my tail!" Oly huffed, prompting me to move my foot so that she was freed.

"Now _that _was an entrance!" Douglas called out, still ducked down as a new wave of debris rained down on us. Krane's golem was literally just walking through the building, fucking shit up as it went.

"_Why_ do you have to admire everything a villain does?" Leo snapped incredulously.

Douglas crossed his arms. "I admire art in all its forms."

"Can we _focus?_" Tasha huffed as the golem took another step, bringing bits of ceiling down on us.

"Yeah," I supported. "The important thing at the moment is that you're _never _getting your deposit back on this room!"

"_Damn it, _you're right!" Douglas lamented.

"Can anybody see Krane?" Adam cut in. He was squinting into the darkness - the golem had knocked the power out - trying to find the mastermind of this attack.

I scanned the immediate area. Nothing. This guy was all kinds of ninja, apparently. He was nowhere to be seen. I found Bree relocating people at high speed - poor guys - and could see the blue-gray golem, but that was it.

"Everybody chill," Douglas said, rising up slightly. "Find The Arm of Raziel. It has to be in here somewhere."

I glanced at the rubble around us, my heart sinking. "Leo, wasn't it near you?"

"Dig around the couch!" Leo declared, jumping up and pointing at the half-buried couch.

Keeping low, we scrambled over debris piles, scrapes and cuts gathering on our bodies as we went. Ignoring these, we desperately started digging. Yahn turned into a replica of Adam to help more effectively. He wasn't super strong, but it was still something.

Oly, however, made herself a pain in the tail. Literally: She bit my tail, causing me to yelp and lose my careful perch on two pieces of wood. Damn imp got me stabbed in the hand with a random nail. "Look alive, Half-Breed!" she said when I readied myself to kick her. Kind of mean, I know, but I didn't have time for her shit right then. However, she turned and pointed at the base of the golem's leg.

So _there_ Krane was. Sneaky guy.

He gave me a maniacal grin, lightning beginning to spark off of his fingers. "You first, weak-ass hell spawn!"

_Weak?! I _know _he did not just call you weak!_ raged my voice. _The arrogant fool!_

"I am not _weak!_" I roared. Seriously, it ended in a fierce feline roar. I pinned my ears and took a step towards him, my tail lashing. "I never was!" I pointed at him. "_You_ are!"

Lucky for me, my lovely powers took over. A massive flash of white - _blindingly _bright in the darkness - shot from my hand right at him. The fact that Douglas had shot him in the leg not long before slowed him down, but Krane still had the reflexes needed to dodge most of my attack. It grazed the small of his back. The smell of burning fabric and flesh filled the air immediately, tinged with the metallic scent of blood.

But when I hit Oly with that in Norway, she had been _fine_.

Oly climbed onto my shoulder. "By the way, that kills humans. They're too fragile to handle an attack like that."

I _guessed_ I could work with that, if I used it responsibly.

Kidding. Burn _all_ the Kranes!

Laughing from the thrill of petty vengeance, I allowed my anger to take over, giving me the ability needed to launch balls of white energy at Krane in rapid succession. "I didn't appreciate you trying to crack my skull with The Arm of Raziel earlier!"

Krane's super speed - though significantly slower than usual due to Douglas' awesome marksmanship - was enough to avoid my assault. I occasionally hit the golem, but it just trudged along, oblivious to the hit it had just taken. In fact, the only reason I knew I had hit it was the collection of white, glowing lines on its leg.

I kind of wanted to decorate the thing in glowing marks, but it had to wait.

Krane was slowly working his way closer to me and - by proxy - my family, who were still digging frantically behind me. I had no idea how much time I could buy them, but I had to drag it out as long as I could. Worse: The closer he got, the harder it was to aim. Not because he was doing anything different, but because I didn't want to hit a piece of rubble that might trigger the wall to topple on everyone or accidentally hit someone I cared about. He got within about ten feet of me and started grinning wickedly again. "You're still the weak one, _kitty_. I'm going to kill you, and your family, and your little imps. In fact, I'll kill everyone but you and your worthless father. Then, I'll take my time killing you in his presence." He began describing what he would do in an obvious attempt to get to me.

And it was working.

I felt the blood drain out of my face at this, my anger rapidly giving way to fear. My aim began to suffer as I started to shake. Oly snapped her beak loudly in my ear. "_Ignore him, Half-Breed!"_

Krane began to chuckle. "Douglas will have to watch me kill his precious pet kitty. And you will suffer for _weeks_, knowing that you were too weak to stop me!"

"_Like hell!_"

A large chunk of drywall crashed into Krane's chest. The psychopath was sent flying back away from me. As more massive pieces of debris flew towards Krane - driving him back under the onslaught - I glanced around just to see Adam, his eyes flashing dangerously. His expression held nothing but hatred as he sent another make-shift missile in Krane's direction. "You leave my family alone!"

_Are you going to let this human save your tail?!_

I swallowed and shook my head extremely hard, clearing it. With a growl, I started shooting off energy balls at Krane. Between Adam and I, he was pretty busy.

Of course, that didn't stop the golem from destroying everything it could, but we had our hands full. Worse: We couldn't hold out forever. Adam would run out of rubble eventually.

Then, suddenly, a glorious cry from Leo saved our asses.

Kind of.

"I found it!"

* * *

_"...In this small world bound to the beat of silence, we were taken out..."_

**The Slot, _Two Wars (Russian version; unofficial English translation)_**

* * *

_**Leo**_

Douglas instantly took The Arm of Raziel from Leo and pointed it at the golem, saying something inaudible. Tasha pulled Leo to her protectively while Adam continued to throw whatever was close and Chase shot random balls of light from his hands. Oly was perched on his shoulder, watching everything with sly eyes, waiting for the chance to strike. The golem was still walking around, apparently hell-bent on taking the whole building down. Krane was darting around, clearly on defense.

Mr. Davenport suddenly appeared behind Douglas with Yahn - a gargoyle again - now on his shoulders. Mr. Davenport took hold of The Arm of Raziel, too, lending support. It was strange to see the two working together to take out the golem.

A flash brighter than the ones Chase was creating lit up the tip of The Arm of Raziel. Only instead of going towards the golem, it sent both Douglas and Mr. Davenport flying backwards into the wall, knocking them both out. Yahn sprung off of Mr. Davenport's shoulders to land among the debris. "What the hell, Master?!"

"_Donald?!_" Tasha cried out.

Neither one moved.

Chase and Adam yelped suddenly, catching Leo's rapt attention. In the chaotic light storm The Arm of Raziel created, Adam and Chase had lost focus for a split second.

Enough time for Krane to swat Oly away, catch both boys by the collars of their necks and lift them into the air. Tasha let go of Leo instantly while the golem hit a support beam, causing the building to shake. Before Leo could find out where his mother went, Yahn appeared in his face, flying. "_You! _You have to stop the golem! Get the scroll out of its mouth!"

"_How?!_" Leo cried incredulously. " I can't jump ten feet into the air!"

"Think of something!" Yahn snapped his beak closed. "Or we'll all die!"

"But what about Adam and Chase?" He gestured towards where Krane was laughing, now holding his captives by the throats.

A loud screeching suddenly filled the air. "_Not my Half-Breed, asshole!"_

* * *

_"...Two wars in the mind: One Spring, one Wintertime..."_

**The Slot, _Two Wars (Russian version; unofficial English translation)_**

* * *

_**Chase**_

Turned out that being strangled fucking _hurt_. The joy of screaming lungs while starving for air as a massive amount of force held your throat closed _sucked_. I mean, my life flashed before my eyes and everything.

It was kind of boring, to be honest.

So there I was, nonchalantly dying - I could see the light and everything - when an angel flew in and saved our asses.

A demon, rather.

Oly. Oly saved our bacon.

"_Not my Half-Breed, asshole!"_

Nice to know I was her pet, I guessed.

Nicer to know that taking an Oly to the face made Krane release Adam and me. We dropped to our knees, coughing, gasping for air and rubbing our throats while Oly - rhinestones glittering slightly in the meager light of the moon - ran her claws down Krane's face. He swatted at her and, after a bit of a struggle, caught her tail. When he pulled her away, however, she dug her claws in.

One sinking deep into Krane's right eye socket.

_Justice! _my voice cheered. _Quick: Squeeze a lemon wedge in it!_

He flung her away, screaming in agony and clutching at his face when a loud crack sounded. He lurched forward, revealing the most unlikely savior I'd ever seen.

Tasha, brandishing The Arm of Raziel like a club. "No one hurts my kids!" she spat, swinging the staff again.

Krane managed to move enough to take the hit across his shoulders. Multiple hits, actually. Tasha wasn't playing around. "What the hell, crazy bitch?!"

"Go, Tasha!" Adam cheered beside me, his voice rough as Yahn barreled into him from who-knew-where with a purr of joy.

I'd be worried about Krane hurting Tasha, but he seemed to be preoccupied with his now-destroyed eye. So this was _fun _for me.

It was the main reason I was laughing. It was a wheezy sound, but whatever. Krane's destructive golem was tearing the building down around us, anyways. Might as well have _some_ fun.

Speaking of, Douglas would _love_ this.

I glanced back at the couch only to see Mr. Davenport and Douglas slumped against the wall, side-by-side, obviously out cold. I only say obviously because their breath stirred the dust motes right in front of their faces in a different way than anywhere else in the room. So they were alive. Judging by their slightly - glowing hands, they had just failed with The Arm of Raziel.

I had wondered why the massive flash earlier didn't kill the golem.

_Arrogant idiots_, my voice commented.

I nudged Adam beside me. "Get that golem shut down," I croaked. "I'll make sure Tasha is fine."

Adam frowned at me. "But Leo's already doing it." He pointed at a taller pile of rubble near the golem, where none other than foolhardy Leo was perched around seven feet high in the air.

My eyes widened. "He can't do that alone! He can barely lift a _pencil!"_

"Good thing Bree's going to help, right?" Yahn responded.

And, not a second after he spoke, a blur tore up the pile towards Leo.

But not before he jumped.

* * *

_"...Two unraveling strings in the sleeve pull us down to the bottom; hold on..."_

**The Slot, _Two Wars (Russian version; unofficial English translation)_**

* * *

_**Leo**_

Leo couldn't judge a jump. What the hell was he thinking?

But if his mother could beat the snot out of Krane with The Arm of Raziel, then he could jump on a golem.

He took a deep breath and, with a wild cry, sprang towards the giant clay creature.

It was icy cold to the touch when he landed on it - much to his shock (Leo was _not _a winter guy) - and extremely smooth.

No hand holds.

As Leo began to slip down the creature's back, he clawed frantically at the surface. The fact that the golem had noticed and was now twisting violently to see who was on its back didn't exactly help.

So this was how it ended: Falling off of and being crushed by a golem.

A hand caught his, hauling him up onto the golem's shoulder roughly.

So maybe this _wasn't _how it ended.

Because lucky Leo had Bree, a freaking human suction cup when it came to climbing. And she had caught him. "What were you thinking?" Bree huffed angrily. "You could've gotten killed."

"I'm thinking that we need to get the scroll from the golem's mouth," Leo answered with a cheeky grin, perching on the golem's shoulders and clinging to his sister's arm for balance as she let go of his hand.

"Then let's just do this," she answered.

Leo nodded, tightening his hold on Bree as she inched her way up its shoulder. They were right near its head when the golem twisted again - it was starting to get annoyed, obviously - and Leo went tumbling forward, losing his hold on Bree. He swung his arms towards the golem's pseudo-face desperately as Bree screeched his name. Hey, it was a ten foot fall. No way was he going to walk away from that unscathed.

Injury, however, seemed inevitable as his hands met with only freezing clay. _Damn_ _it,_ he thought to himself.

The clay surface suddenly gave way to nothing.

A hole. A glorious hole!

Leo hooked his fingers in the rim, managing to get a grip with one arm. His descent was halted with a jarring yank to his shoulder, but he ignored it. Instead, he swung his other arm up and stuck it in the opening. His muscles were screaming from the effort already - why couldn't he be _stronger?_ - but it was all worth it when he touched a rolled-up piece of paper.

Grabbing it, he pulled it free from the golem's mouth with a cry of victory.

And the ledge he had been clinging to disintegrated, causing him to fall.

He screamed as he plummeted - _manly _screams - and prepared to most likely be impaled on a loose board or something. However, a breeze was felt, followed by him landing on top of a certain bionic sister of his. Both fell to the ground with a gasp - _unharmed _- while a loud cracking noise sounded. Leo looked up to see the golem cracking, little rays of red light shining through its now-fracturing body.

"Where did he go?!" Leo heard his mother howl.

"Krane ran," came the familiar voice of Yahn. "Even he knows when to flee."

And, with the deafening sound not unlike the shattering of a plate, the golem burst into a million pieces, red light obscuring everything before it blinked out. Sharp shards of clay rained down on Leo and Bree for a moment before everything settled, the golem now a part of the debris it had created.

And, other than the night wind, everything fell absolutely, stunningly, sweetly silent. It was over.

They had won, for now.

Leo grinned, clutching the scroll in his hand as he moved off of Bree, thinking only one thing: _Thank God_.

* * *

**Now that was fun to write! Of course, we're not done yet, but we're getting there.**

**By the way, Krane losing his eye was brought to you by Mia-Teresa-Davenport, who repeatedly asked Chase _not _to claw her fanfiction's characters' eyes out. :3 Why not give a little bloodshed to the people, right?**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. I get paid either way.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	23. Chapter 23 - I Trust You

**Chapter Twenty-Three! Woo! Winding down. It's kind of filler, but it gets us to the end.**

**I'd like to thank my readers, reviewers, and the settlers who made the small town outside Chase's room. :3 You're fun.**

**Moonlit: Demons in the wrong hands would suck. :c**

**DisneyXDGirl: He has yet to die.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Second me is still here?! Take a good look, my counterpart: _This _is how you pull my looks off. :3"**

**gg180000: Oly refuses to give a Demon Chase to everyone on the grounds that he is _hers_.**

**RissA15: Any art would take a while. And I don't think bionic is a creature. It's more of a thing, like being a Taurus or being able to play the trumpet.**

**AllAmericanSlurp: We love holding captive attentions down in the torture chamber. }:3**

**Anyway, let's see how this ends. Miss Bree?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Trust is hard to come by. That's why my circle is small and tight. I'm kind of funny about making new friends."_

**Eminem**

* * *

_"Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks."_

**Isaac Watts**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three - I Trust You**

_**Leo**_

It took several moments before the police arrived to see the destroyed hotel, their sirens loud in the quiet air. The now-unsound structure was evacuated, families and employees still in shock.

As for Leo and his family, they had remained among the rubble. No one had told them to leave yet, and Mr. Davenport and Douglas were still out cold. Oly - looking like a Yorkie dog - was licking blood off of her paws near Douglas while Adam was clearing a path to allow everyone to just walk out.

Hey, when two people might have had concussions, climbing unstable rubble wasn't the best option.

Tasha was sitting by Mr. Davenport presently, The Arm of Raziel laying across her lap as she held his hand. Yahn had perched on her shoulders as a parrot, his keen gaze missing nothing. Chase had turned into a cat and was curled up between Mr. Davenport and Douglas, the tip of his tail tapping while he waited for both to wake up.

As for Leo himself, he was sitting where he had landed when the golem was destroyed, holding the scroll. Beside him, Bree was hugging her knees loosely. It was unlike her to be totally quiet for any length of time, but she hadn't said a word since the attack ended. She had laughed a little - Adam and Chase had hugged earlier to celebrate the victory and, due to the Charmer thing, Chase had to be pried off of his elder brother - but hadn't spoken. Together, they watched the crowd of people milling around behind yellow police tape. A few were crying over lost or injured family members - unfortunate casualties in the collapse of their rooms - while some were praying. Others demanded answers, which really was their right.

_Too bad we can't tell them_, Leo mused.

An officer ducked under the tape and walked up to Leo and Bree, his partner close behind. "Italiano?"

Bree shook her head, speaking for the first time. "English."

"What are your names?" the officer asked, his accent thick.

"I'm Leo, and this is Bree," Leo answered.

After writing this down, he continued. "Did you see anything about what happened?"

Leo suddenly sat straighter. Whoever was blamed for this would be immediately arrested.

_Douglas_.

Even if he _was_ proven innocent, he would still be thrown in prison for a long time. International terrorists didn't get off lightly.

Now was their chance! They could be rid of Douglas for good! The unstable anarchist wouldn't be able to hurt then again! All it would take is a little white lie.

Bree shook her head. The officer nodded at Leo. "And you?"

Leo nodded. "I saw..." He looked at Douglas - Chase laying beside him - and trailed off, a memory of Mr. Davenport talking driving all other thought out of his mind.

_"Trust Douglas? Me?_ Never. _I don't have to, though, because Chase trusts him, and_ I _trust_ Chase."

"You saw what?" the officer prompted impatiently.

Leo hesitated before sighing. "I saw a guy running away from the building really fast right after it exploded. He went around that corner. I didn't get a good look at him." Leo pointed at a visible intersection between two roads.

Both officers latched on to this information, excitedly writing it down and asking more questions.

All of which he answered with lies or simple claims of ignorance.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Douglas and Mr. Davenport begin to stir. Chase sat up and licked his paw before rubbing it over his ears to clean them like a normal cat.

_I'm trusting you,_ he thought, eyeing Chase. _You better not make me regret it._

* * *

_"Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home."_

**Bill Cosby**

* * *

_"To err is human; to forgive, divine."_

**Alexander Pope, _An Essay on Criticism_**

* * *

_**Chase**_

"Stop fidgeting," Oly growled, hanging onto Leo's shoulder.

"I'm _nervous_," Leo huffed, pulling at his shirt to straighten it out a bit.

I perked my ears at him. I knew what his problem was - going before the Council for the first time would likely be intimidating for anyone - but I imagined that the events that had passed mere hours ago hadn't helped anything for his adrenaline levels. We had all been on edge since the attack, only calming down slightly when the sun rose.

And now, despite everything, Douglas _still _had to report to the Summoner's Council. It was an injustice, I tell ya.

Douglas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leo, it's just a group of people trying to intimidate you. Like the government and motorcyclists who wear flaming skulls on their jackets."

Mr. Davenport glanced at Douglas. "Don't start a government rant."

"And neither Leo _nor _Adam are joining this Council," Tasha added, raising her eyebrow.

"The Council is annoying, anyways," Oly commented.

Adam rolled his shoulders - Yahn had to move his tail a bit to stay balanced and sighed. "After this, can we go home?"

Bree nodded. "I missed a sleepover for this."

"And where will we go from here, Master?" Yahn asked.

Douglas opened his mouth to answer, but Mr. Davenport cut him off. "Home with us."

We all looked at him.

"Look, it's obvious that Krane wants us separated. It will be easier to pick us off that way," he explained a bit sheepishly. "And I'd feel better if everyone is accounted for."

Douglas crossed his arms. "I'm not going home just to be arrested, Don."

"No tricks." Mr. Davenport held his hands up innocently. "Please? It'll be easier for everyone when we don't have to worry about you guys."

I nudged Douglas with my elbow. "Think we should go for it?"

Oly growled. "I don't trust 'em."

Yahn, however, tilted his head. "Master, he's right."

Finally, Douglas nodded. "Thank you."

I let out a purr. _Finally_, a little stability. I mean, traveling was nice and all, but it was tiring. It would be nice to stay in one place for a bit.

"Fine, fine," Oly huffed. "But can we get this meeting over with? This kid won't hold still!"

Leo glared at her.

"The Council awaits, then," I declared, striking a dramatic pose as I gestured towards the entrance of the building.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "Indeed."

With Douglas leading the way, we entered the building. The main room where the Council had performed last night's group summoning was closed tight, covered in signs that warned us not to enter. Bree frowned. "What happened there?"

"Summoning gone wrong," I explained. "Councillor was eaten by an afrit. Blood _everywhere_."

_It was wonderful, wasn't it?_

"Don't mess up another summoning, guys," Douglas said, patting Leo's and Adam's shoulders.

"They aren't summoning anything else," Mr. Davenport huffed.

"Just sayin'," Douglas explained before he started walking again.

The room in which the Council met was annoyingly stereotypical. Seriously: One big table with the members sitting around it. It was _stupidly_ formal.

"Everyone behave," Tasha hissed before they approached the Council. I stood near the wall as everyone else stood at the head of the table. Demons: We had to be submissive.

"We thank you for joining us this morning," said a Councillor.

Douglas nodded. "Thank you for having us."

"Summoner Douglas," a second Councillor began, "you brought forth a theory of a golem and The Arm of Raziel, but have offered us proof of neither beyond a djinni's word. As demons cannot be trusted, it is time you come clean: How have you - as it is undoubtedly you, since you invented such a foolish lie - caused such massive destruction to the Italian museums, the residence in Spain, and the hotel last night?"

I pinned my ears at being called a djinni, but let it slide due to Douglas' response. He pulled the scroll that Leo had removed from the golem out of his pocket and casually dropped it on the table, causing every Councillor's eyes to widen. Douglas then raised both arms to shoulder-level, his middle fingers raised and aimed at every Council member who could see. They stared at him, speechless as he turned on his heel and raised his hands above his head, walking out of the room with the birds flying without uttering another word.

My family stared after him, gaping as Oly and Yahn jumped to the floor and scurried after him. As for myself, I grinned, showing off my fangs. "Master would like to thank you for wasting his time." I bowed before I exited the room.

I found Douglas outside, laughing with Oly and Yahn. He threw an arm around my shoulders as I started laughing with them. "That was _awesome!" _I purred.

Douglas grinned. "The Council earned it for doubting me. Now, let's go home."

* * *

**One chapter left, guys. Who's ready for the end?**

**While you wait, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**And enjoy. :3**

***Bows and exits***


	24. Chapter 24 - Maybe You're Right

**They're coming! Everyone, battle stations. This is not a drill! I repeat, this is _not _a drill!**

**"Who's coming?!"**

**The most terrifying creatures known to man, Leo: _Rioting fangirls._**

**"But I'm too handsome to die!"**

**Can it, Davenport! Adam, you're in charge of holding the door closed! Everyone else on me. We're dying here; let's make it _glorious_.**

**"Maybe you should just write the sequel?"**

**Tasha, I don't negotiate with terrorists! Now everyone start praying. You'll be meeting your end this day.**

**While we prepare for your onslaught, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has ever read or reviewed on this story and its predecessor. You guys make me smile inside. I'd smile outside, but these guys would walk all over me.**

**Sunwolfee: "It is indeed more fun."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "...You're right; I'm not worth my time."**

**Moonlit: I told you to have a little faith in Leo.**

**RissA5: Look closely, my little army. This is the leader of the riot. Cunning. Resourceful. Be careful.**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Djinni's a type of demon. Powerscale: Imp, djinni, afrit. Ferran is a djinni. And I'm not trying to brag - seriously; I'm stating this as nothing but a fact - I have an impressive memory. I usually only have to hear or read things once or twice to remember it. So it's easy for me to keep track of everything. One of the good things that come from Asperger's Syndrome. :3. Unless it's a name or a face. It doesn't work with those, for some reason. Took me a month to tell Adam and Chase apart.**

**It's quite short, but it's here. Anyways, let's do this. Oly?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...Half my life's in books' written pages. Lived and learned from fools and from sages. You know it's true: All the good things come back to you..."_

**Avila, _"Dream On"_**

* * *

_"We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it."_

**Rick Warren, _The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four - Maybe You're Right**

_**Douglas**_

The Summoner's Council in Italy had banned Douglas from their facilities for the victorious salute he had given them yesterday morning. It was fine by him; the idiots would have gotten farther if they just admitted that Douglas was right in the first place.

Because he always was. _And _he looked good doing it.

He smiled to himself, looking out the window of his brother's private jet at the personnel readying the plane for take off. He liked being in the jet and meeting eyes with an employee who had to stay behind and follow orders.

It was a power thing. He got off on it.

Beside him, Chase was obviously happy to be going home. He was practically bouncing up and down on the plane seat, his eyes - moments ago holding mostly exhaustion - now glowed with excitement. Hell, his _form_ was shimmering, drawing stares from Tasha, Donald and the kids.

Why demons shimmered when excited would always evade Douglas' understanding.

He nudged Chase with his elbow, grinning. "Calm down, kid. You'll evaporate."

Chase sighed and lowered his ears. A couple of deep breaths later, his form had stabilized. "I'm cool," he said. "I'm cool now."

"You were _never _cool," Adam drawled casually as he rubbed Yahn's back. Said imp was curled up in Adam's lap, half asleep.

Chase pinned his ears and glared as Bree and Leo snickered.

"Be nice, Adam," Tasha chastised gently. She picked up a book - some stupid love story - and opened it to a bookmarked page.

Beside her, Donnie mumbled an agreement before he stood up. "I'm going to tell the pilot that we're ready when he is." He pushed past the curtain that divided the plane's cockpit from the main body. Douglas watched his brother leave. To think: Just a couple of weeks ago, Donnie was tearing up the earth in an attempt to have Douglas arrested. Funny how a common enemy could change things so quickly.

Oly climbed onto Chase's shoulder, a look of disgust on her face. "_Why _are we riding on this machine? Can't you just summon us, Master?"

"Scared of airplanes, imp?" Leo teased.

Oly glared at him. "_No_. I'm just -"

"Scared," Leo interrupted, grinning cheekily.

Douglas smiled a bit.

Oly growled loudly. "Listen here, you little shit -"

"To _you?_ Your voice is more annoying than Gilbert Gottfried's!" Leo retorted while Tasha growled out a warning about language.

Oly huffed and jumped down to Chase's lap while Chase, Bree, Leo, Yahn and Adam burst into laughter. She curled up and covered her face with her wing indignantly, the movements causing her rhinestones to glitter.

Douglas grinned and chuckled a bit. It usually took a lot to shut Oly up.

The laughter died down quickly as Donald returned and sat down beside his wife. "We'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"And then we get to be bored for _hours_," Adam noted with sarcastic cheeriness.

"Well...we could play poker," Bree suggested.

"As long as _these _two don't shuffle, I'm in," Leo agreed, nodding at Douglas and Chase. "If I'm going to lose, it's not going to be because of a fixed deck."

_Smart kid,_ Douglas thought reluctantly as Donald began to distribute poker chips. Douglas nudged Chase, who perked his ears and looked at him. "You might be right," he said quietly as Bree shuffled the deck.

Chase frowned. "Beg pardon?"

"Maybe Leo _isn't_ so bad once you get used to him."

* * *

_"...Sing with me, sing for the years. Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears. Sing with me, just for today. Maybe tomorrow, the Good Lord'll take you away. Dream on..."_

**Avila, "Dream on"**

* * *

_"...I will not die, I'll wait here for you. I feel alive, when you're beside me. I will not die, I'll wait here for you, in my time of dying..."_

**Three Days Grace, "Time of Dying"**

* * *

**"Zara! We can't hold out forever! Just write the damn sequel!"**

**Chase, I told you that I don't negotiate with terrorists! Adam, _hold that door closed!_**

**"I'm as strong as a hundred men, not a hundred fangirls, damn it!"**

**"_Zara!_ Just _do_ it! _I'm _a terrorist! These are _psychos_."**

**Douglas -**

**"I can't hold this door forever! They're foaming at the mouth! It's terrifying!"**

**_Fine!_**

**Don't burn the place down around us! I'll write a sequel! _God damn!_**

**Be on the lookout for _Haunted_, the next story in the _Hybrid _line.**

**And, until then, enjoy. :3**

***Bows and exits***


End file.
